


The Soldier Only We Know

by Clozickles



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action Scenes, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Returns, Bucky is protective of Tony Stark, Doctor Strange makes an appearance, Gen, Hurt Bucky Barnes, Hurt Tony Stark, No Slash, Post-Civil War (Marvel), Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers Feels, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony didn't deserve what happened to him, bromance galore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-11 02:43:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7023952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clozickles/pseuds/Clozickles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hydra resurfaces and both sides of the Civil War want it destroyed as soon as possible. However, much to Tony's dismay, they need help. The Hydra agent is leaving clues with each attack that only Bucky would know the answers to. Steve is able to suppress the Winter Soldier in Bucky with the aid of a certain sorcerer and brings him out of cryostasis. As what is left of the "Avengers" try to stop Hydra for good, Bucky is trying to do what he can to prove that he is not the Winter Soldier, not a brutal killer. Bucky wants to make amends, but Tony is steadfast in his opinion of Bucky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Trying to Get By

**Author's Note:**

> I write this because Bucky clearly wants to make Tony feel better. You know how I know? In Civil War, after waking up with his arm locked into place, Bucky asks Steve, “What did I do?” So doesn’t that mean that he doesn’t remember what happens while he is the Winter Soldier? HOWEVER, when Tony asks Bucky, “Do you even remember them?” Bucky replies “I remember all of them”. DID he remember? Or was he just telling that to Tony to give him a little solace in trying to kill him? I don’t know… but this fanfic is my attempt at an answer! So it is Bucky-centric, with a little Steve and Bucky bromance, but I actually tried to make Bucky and Tony’s relationship better. Pray for me.
> 
> Also, this is just a "test" chapter. I have more written, but I want to see if it is even worth putting it up on here unless anyone is interested. So, if you want more, please give a quick comment or a kudos to let me know! Thanks and I hope to do these characters justice!
> 
> P.S. Sorry this chapter isn't Bucky-centric! Just trying to clear everything up from Civil War. It's a bit difficult. Next chapter will be introducing Bucky, though! So, again, if you'd like to read more, please let me know!

In a large city marketplace in Bangladesh, a man stepped out of the shadows of an alleyway and into the sunlight. Cloaked in khaki, the man was nearly invisible against the color scheme of the buildings and the ground. He walked through the crowds seamlessly, completely unnoticed amidst the bargaining and shouting and talking and laughter. The man’s inhuman eyes glowed red from underneath his head-wrap. 

He came upon a building; made of metal, heavily guarded with people and gates. Clearly a government building, but he knew that because it was his destination. A loose smile rose on his lips and the skin on his fingertips suddenly began to steam and melt. 

A security guard saw him, shouted in Bengali, but was interrupted by an enormous explosion that ended his life. 

When the mysterious man left the scene, police sirens could be heard in the distance. However, all they would find was rubble and blackened bodies. If they searched just hard enough, they would also find a red card with a black star. 

-X-X-X-X-X-

Tony wiped a strip of condensation off his scotch glass absent-mindedly before taking a quick swig. 

“Hey, Tony!”

He glanced up at Rhodey’s call from his position at the bar countertop. Rhodey was sitting on the couch in front of the television. Tony stood up, taking his glass in-hand, and strolled over to his friend.

“You might want to take a look at this.”

Tony took another drink of his scotch, looked at the television, and said casually, “It’s never good whenever anyone says that.”

Rhodey didn’t laugh or reply with humor, illustrating to Tony that it was serious. “This time’s not an exception.”

It was a CNN broadcast. Wolf Blitzer was the anchor with the caption at the bottom reading: EXPLOSION IN BANGLADESH.

“34 people dead with hundreds injured at a Bangladesh government building. It’s unclear what building it was and whether or not this is a terrorist-related incident.”

There was a short clip taken by a witness of a huge explosion just outside some kind of market. Tony involuntarily winced at the loud boom and the screaming that followed.

Wolf continued, “Directly outside the gate of the vicinity was this card,” a photo appeared next to his head of a red piece of paper with a black star. Tony’s heart immediately jumped to his throat. “… with the word ‘cold-blooded’ written on the back in Russian. The Bangladesh police are saying it may be an act of terror, but security footage will be released, so we may have our answer sooner… rather than later.”

Tony’s grip on his glass tightened and his expression became blank, as it always did when he became uncomfortable or angry. Tony thought back to what had happened and his chest squeezed. He remembered Cap’s face after he had thrusted his shield into his suit’s generator… The look in his eyes… Tony shut his tightly, feeling a headache growing. He recalled the video played before him… watching his parents die by the Winter Soldier’s hands. By someone the Captain saved. Someone who worked for Hydra. And the bastard knew who did it. He watched the man choke the life out of his mother…

“Hey! Hey, Tony, you okay?”

Tony snapped open his eyes, hearing Rhodey’s voice and his pants being tugged. Rhodey had his grip on his clothing, unable to stand and grab anything closer. It was only then that Tony realized he had been hyperventilating. 

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” he said quickly, walking away.

Rhodey raised his eyebrow and watched him move towards the bar. “You aren’t… you know…” His voice was filled with concern.

“No!” came Tony’s all-too-quick reply. “No. No more panic attacks. Got kind of sick of them. They really ruin your day.”

Rhodey waited a beat before saying, “So, what are we going to do?”

“No doubt we’ll be getting calls. I’m not taking the reins on this one. I’ve had enough with that group.”

Rhodey frowned solemnly. “Tony-”

The door to the large room suddenly opened and Vision emerged with what looked like a wicker basket.

“I made scones,” he said in the familiar British accent. 

Tony and Rhodey stared at him.

Vision couldn’t pick up on the tension in the air and added, “They have blueberries in them.”

-X-X-X-X-X-

Natasha threw a right hook, but Clint saw right through the attack and dodged, following with a left leg sweep. Black Widow fell for it, but took advantage of the momentum by throwing her own leg at Clint’s ribcage, landing a nice blow that earned her a pained grunt from the archer.

Suddenly, a phone beeped and buzzed. Natasha put her hand in front of her face, right before Hawkeye landed a punch.

“That was my chance!” he whined as Natasha hopped to her feet. 

She rolled her eyes as she reached into her waist pouch. “Please. I had my hand up before you even raised your fist.”

Clint scoffed. “That’s not true!”

Natasha ignored him and read the caller ID. She couldn’t say she wasn’t surprised. She raised her eyebrows at Clint, who was wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“What?” he asked, taking a drink of water as well.

Natasha raised her phone to show him the screen. “Cap’s calling.”

Clint shrugged casually, as if it weren’t a big deal. “It must be important. Answer it.”

Natasha wasted no more time, flicked the circle on the screen, and pressed the phone to her ear. “What’s it been? Six months?” She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

There was a light chuckle over the other end of the line and the familiarity of it made Natasha smile.

“Five and a half,” Steve defended.

“Still too long.”

There was a pause. “I know, but what did you expect?”

Natasha’s face softened dejectedly. “Anything. I thought we were closer than that. Why else would I have let you go at the airport?”

Another pause. It would almost be endearing, Cap’s hesitance, if Natasha wasn’t so upset with him. 

“It’s back, Nat.”

Natasha frowned, curiosity overrunning her disappointment. “What is?”

“Hydra. There was an attack in Bangladesh. 43 people were killed and hundreds were hurt.”

Natasha covered her mouth subconsciously, shock and even fear came to her. “What?” She glanced up at Clint, who was staring at her curiously. “Where are you?”

“… I can’t say. But I can come to you.”

Natasha tried to suppress her anger at his answer and continued, “Then come to Stark’s Tower. We need to discuss this altogether.”

“I can’t.” 

Natasha was surprised at the quick answer, but it was expected. “Steve…”

“I can’t, Nat,” he repeated with a harsh tone. “Not unless he asks for me, which isn’t likely.”

“I’ll make him. This is bigger than your feud. A lot of people are dead, Steve. Tony doesn’t have to forgive you for whatever you’ve done, but you do have to work together. Hydra is too strong to defeat alone.” Natasha hoped she was able to get through to him.

One long moment later, Steve replied, “I’ll head there now. Will probably take me a day. Please, try to explain it to him so he’ll work with us.”

Natasha exhaled loudly, but a smirk played on her lips. “I’ll start with fluffing up his ego.”

Steve laughed over the phone and Natasha smiled, hanging up the phone.

“What’s going on?” Clint asked, having finished wiping all the sweat off his body.

The Black Widow whipped her orange hair out of her face and said, “We’ve got a mission. Won’t be easy.”

Clint scoffed, laughing. “When is it ever?”

-X-X-X-X-X-

Tony wasn’t exactly thrilled with the situation. Natasha called him up to set up a meeting about the attack in Bangladesh (unsurprising), but she also wanted Cap there (surprising). Tony spent an hour on the phone arguing with the Black Widow over why they didn’t need him. But, ultimately, she won the argument. Mostly, however, due to the fact that Tony was simply tired of fighting. But also, there was one thing that their two sides had in common: fighting to protect people. If Tony denied the Captain’s help and more people ended up dead… then he would feel even worse.

Natasha even assured Tony that Cap would be able to get into the United States, even though he was a criminal. Great, that meant he was probably breaking another law. Tony made sure to double-check any wiretaps that the government may have set up in his building. Thankfully, there were none, so when Steve arrived, he’d be in the clear.

To hold back his anger, Tony tried not to think about their physical brawl. He tried to think about the letter he received from Steve after it was all over. The Captain claimed that he would jump to his side whenever he needed him, like a true friend. 

Now, Tony, Rhodey, Vision, Natasha, Clint, and Wanda were seated around a large, circular metal table in complete silence, waiting for Steve to arrive. Tony truly believed he could cut the tension in the air with a knife. People exchanged sideways glances, trying to fill the silence with just looks.

Naturally, Vision was the first to speak up, “I’m sensing a lot of rigidity between everyone.”

Tony smiled humorlessly and spoke sarcastically, “You think so?”

Vision immediately left the room, dark blue sweater, suit trousers and all. Tony raised his hands in the air, looking completely confused. Sometimes he was entirely unsure of what Vision was thinking, even though Tony was the one to program his functions originally.

Vision returned a minute later with a familiar wicker basket. “I made blueberry scones. Does anyone want one?”

Everyone but Tony raised their hands. 

As Vision was gleefully passing them out, Tony scoffed, “You guys are kidding me, right?”

Clint shrugged. “It’s never a bad time for a scone, Stark.”

Tony pushed up his blue-tinted glasses. “No, actually, this is a bad time. Possibly the worst time. No, scratch that. Is the worst time. This is the worst time for a scone.”

The door to the room suddenly slid open and F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke over the intercom. “Captain America is here, sir,” she spoke in her robotic Irish accent.

Steve Rogers emerged from the glass door, but not in his uniform like Tony expected him to be in. He was in simple civilian clothes; a tight blue shirt with loose khakis. It was his first time seeing him in six months… and Tony didn’t know what to think. Or what to feel.

Cap’s expression looked a bit nervous, but it was clear he was here with a purpose and he looked unafraid of the confrontation. That realization whipped Tony back into shape. This was no time to stress about the fact that Cap chose the man who killed his parents over him. Shit. 

Captain America made a beeline for the empty chair in the room, just two seats over from Tony. That was when Sam Wilson entered as well and immediately went for the chair next to him. Tony didn’t exactly remember inviting the Falcon and he glanced at Rhodey, who looked unfazed by the man’s entrance… the man who had inadvertently been a part of crippling Rhodey. 

There was a long silence. Even Vision didn’t say anything. Tony felt his chest squeeze and he really wanted to deck Steve in the face… just once. Maybe ten times.

“Jesus, this being awkward would be an understatement,” Natasha said loudly, for all to hear. “But we don’t have time for this. We need to figure out what to do about this.”

Rhodey jumped in, completely down-to-business, “It’s clear that it’s Hydra’s doing. That star is proof. But I thought you dismantled the organization?”

Captain shook his head. “I thought I did. But then Zemo showed up and showed us that there are still splinter cells out there… that Siberian Hydra base can’t be the only one. Maybe there are other super-soldiers out there.”

Tony bit his lip as he remembered what had happened on that base; the other Winter Soldiers, promptly shot in the heads by Zemo, but then… 

“Then it sounds like we may need… him,” Wanda interjected. Steve suddenly perked up, it seemed like.

Tony raised his hand. “No. We don’t.”

Natasha spoke up, “We don’t even know where to begin. The card was clearly a clue. What would cold-blooded mean? We have to ask him? He’s the only one who would know.”

Tony turned to Steve, curiosity and anger overwhelming his earlier nervousness. “You know nothing about this?”

Cap shook his head again and said, “No, but Nat’s right. Bucky will know.”

Tony felt a bit of a sting at that last sentence. He waved his hand in the air and repeated, “It’s not happening. I was half-expecting you to bring him here, actually.”

Steve suddenly looked pained. “He’s in cryostasis. He asked to be put under again.”

Tony definitely wasn’t expecting that. He forced a smile. “What are you talking about?”

“He’s been under for six months. He felt like he was a danger to everyone and that it would be better off if he weren’t around until we could figure out how to get rid of all the Hydra programming in his head,” Cap explained solemnly, looking at his own wringing hands.

“Where the hell have you been keeping him?” Clint asked.

Sam winked at the archer with a grin. “Can’t tell.” 

“But isn’t that what we need?” Vision said, earning him curious stares from everyone else. “The information Hydra has implanted in his memory, I mean. That is what we need to solve this mystery, correct?”

There was a brief silence in the room until Natasha spoke up, “Then we have our plan, don’t we?”

“We do?” Clint asked with a mocking smile, as if she were jumping to conclusions on her own.

“Yeah. Steve and Sam need to figure out how to get the information out of Barnes while still keeping the Winter Soldier under-wraps. The rest of us need to contact the US government and ask to take part in the investigation,” Natasha suggested.

“Woah, woah,” Tony leaned back in his chair and lifted his arms in the air. “So, what, we just don’t tell that Cap is involved? Or the goddamn Winter Soldier? Or this other guy? They’re fugitives, for God’s sake.”

“My name is Sam,” the Falcon said in the background, but Tony pretty much ignored him. 

“I’m not doing this. There’s no way in hell-!”

“Tony,” Rhodey said, putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder. Tony’s mouth immediately shut and he looked at the former Iron Patriot. Or War Machine. Or War Hammer. “They’re right. All that matters is that you work with the law to save lives. Let them do what they can to save people. And together…” Rhodey glanced at a surprised Captain America, “… and together you can do anything.”

Tony looked at Cap, who was looking at him, as well. It felt like a long moment of trying to understand each other before Tony pulled his eyesight away. 

“A bit cheesy, but not so bad, buddy,” Tony said quietly, patting Rhodey on the back twice. “If you bring that bastard out of cryostasis and he goes berserk, though…” Tony looked at Steve. 

“He won’t,” Cap assured, standing up and getting ready to leave. 

“Do you have any idea where to start looking for help?” Natasha asked Steve.

“I could try,” Wanda raised her hand.

Cap shook his head. “I already have someone who may help. He actually lives in the city, hopefully.”

Sam scoffed, standing up as well. “Hopefully? Should I come with?”

“No… I think you should go back,” Steve was clearly carefully choosing his words. “Go back and check on him. I’ll be back within two days with some kind of help.”

Sam shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

Tony felt his chest squeeze, yet again. He was getting mighty sick of it doing that. Just a simple, unforced conversation with Cap seemed like a distant pleasure he once had. And it seemed like it didn’t even bother the Captain that he didn’t get that with Tony. Tony tried to bury his feelings and he swallowed. Maybe only time could heal this wound. Maybe things would be able to go back to normal. If only Steve would sign the damn Accords… but Tony somehow figured that that would never happen.

Sam and Steve made to leave, but then Vision stood up, holding the wicker basket out to them.

“Scones?” he offered.


	2. With a Little Help From My Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain sorcerer makes a very important appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to get to Bucky... but the chapter just became too long. So, now it ends on a minor cliffhanger. I'm sorry! And I also am posting up this chapter very soon, because the responses definitely showed me that many people would like to see more! And in such a short amount of time! Thank you all so much for your comments and kudos. 
> 
> Starting from now, I'll probably post a chapter up every few days or so. However, I will post a chapter earlier if I get bothered enough with comments and kudos. ;) As always, I hope to do the characters justice! Enjoy!

Steve sighed heavily, but keeping his eyes on the door in front of him. He patted himself down; running his hands over his tightly-fitted, blue, long-sleeved shirt, as if he were dusting himself off. He glared up at the sign hanging from the building: Starbucks COMING SOON. Steve was a bit peeved. Was he at the wrong address? 

177A Bleecker Street. He double-checked the street sign a few yards away from him and upon realizing he had the right address, decided it was time to act. When his fist went up to knock the double-doors, he hadn’t even realized he was holding his breath with anticipation.

It had been six months since Bucky went back into cryostasis thanks to T’Challa and his generosity. Steve was apprehensive about his best friend going under again, but he could see it in the man’s eyes that he wanted nothing more. He clearly was willing to give up his freedom. So, Steve did his best to send him off smiling, even though it tore him up inside. He wanted to believe his friend deserved a life of his own, so the moment the glass pod iced over and Bucky’s expression turned calm, Steve got to work to finding a way to return him to normal. To get rid of all of HYDRA’s influences and send the Winter Soldier back where he came from. But now, he just needed a way to suppress the Winter Soldier; to still have Bucky but with the Winter Soldier’s information.

Steve considered asking Wanda for her help, but it would leave a bad taste in his mouth. The girl had already done so much for him, and Steve thought it wrong to pull her back into such a bad situation. 

So, the Captain (if he could even call himself that anymore), began to dig. T’Challa was kind enough to provide the technology for Steve at his base in Wakanda. After much research and a decidedly long-shot for an answer, Steve arrived at the doorstep of an ex-neurosurgeon in New York City in a little corner of Greenwich Village. At least, that’s where he thought he was at. But the Starbucks sign hanging over his head said otherwise. 

“Can I help you, sir?”

Steve looked up with surprise to see a neatly-dressed Asian man. A servant of some sort? He was much shorter than Steve, so he took the opportunity to look beyond the man and peer inside the building. Sure as hell wasn’t any renovating Starbucks. It looked so opulent on the inside!

The Captain smiled lightly and rubbed the back of his neck, “I hope so. Does a Mr. Strange live here?”

The servant looked Steve up and down with a raised eyebrow. “My name is Wong. May I know who is asking?”

“Steve Rogers,” he replied, but then added a bit hesitantly, “Cap… Captain America.”

Wong seemed to brighten up and the man nodded, stepping to the side. “Please, come in, Captain America.” 

Steve muttered a thanks and did what was suggested of him. He looked around with wonder at the interior before him. It looked more similar to a mansion than anything. The double doors to the building were closed by Wong, who immediately began moving ahead of Steve.

“Follow me,” the servant beckoned. And Steve followed. They were moving so fast that he wasn’t able to absorb everything. They stepped up a flight of stairs, turned to the right, and were greeted with a door.

“He’s in here. Call for me if you need anything,” Wong said, bowed, and left.

Steve didn’t waste any time. He lightly rapped on the door and let himself in. “Excuse me?” he said, purely out of habit. He half-expected the ex-doctor to be seated at a desk, writing furiously and intently. But what Steve was met with was quite different. 

The room was mostly dark, even though it was in the middle of the afternoon, save for a circle of light emitted from a rather large window. In front of that window was a man, hovering in the air with his legs crossed. He was wearing a dark blue, long-sleeved tunic with puffy pants tucked into boots. You would think the most eye-catching thing about the man would be the red cape with the pointed collar, but the most eye-catching thing was his expression; sharp and focused. His face held wrinkles, but few, and gray hair was growing around his temples, despite the man having a full head of mostly-black hair. An open book was levitating in front of him, as well as a golden bowl, which was giving off some kind of steam.

Steve raised his eyebrows with a slight smile, unable to keep his expression hidden. It was all a bit elaborate, wasn’t it? He wanted to say it, but that was no way to start asking for a favor. At least he knew he had the right address. 

“Well?” a baritone voice from across the room said. Steve could hear the voice reverberating off the walls, as if it was coming at him from all direction. The open book closed loudly and the older man stared right into Steve’s eyes. “What are you here for?”

Steve, a bit taken aback, forced a quiet, nervous laughter. “It’s kind of a long story, but if you have the time…”

“I don’t,” came the quick interruption from the man. “However, luckily for you, I already know your situation.”

Steve frowned comically, confused. “Then why did you-?”

“I was only bedeviling you,” he replied with a slight smirk as he took the closed book in his hand, uncrossed his legs, and floated gracefully to the ground on his feet.

Steve assumed that meant he was joking with him, but the humor didn’t exactly reach the Captain. “So, how do you know?”

The doctor tapped the amulet hanging from his necklace dismissively. “With this. It’s called the Eye of Agamotto.”

Steve scoffed, entirely too jumbled. What was this man talking about?

Strange began walking towards the Captain slowly. “I can see that I’ve confused you. Simply put, I know because of magic. And with that same magic, I may be able to save your colleague.”

Steve’s face lit up. “You’re willing to help?”

The older man nodded with his eyes closed. “Perhaps. But you’ll need to take me to him.”

Steve paused, concerned. “Why? What’s in it for you?”

“Absolutely nothing, Captain. However, I have a feeling that he will prove useful in the future. For the very fate of the world.”

Steve smiled solemnly and looked out the large, circular window. “That’s kind of what we’re hoping for, Mr. Strange.”

The man glared at Steve, seemingly all of a sudden, and said in a low, smooth voice, “It’s Doctor Strange.”

-X-X-X-X-X-

Steve arrived back in Wakanda after a day and a half, exactly how long he told Sam it would take. The good Doctor told him that he’d find his own way, so Steve had to tell him where T’Challa’s base was, coordinates and all. Although he did ask the Doctor to keep it a secret, it was nerve-wracking someone that he just met knew where they were… if the man spilled the beans still in the United States, then the US army would be on top of them with guns blazing. 

“I trust your visit went well?” T’Challa asked him once he entered the base. They continued walking together towards Bucky’s position.

“It did. That device you gave me really worked. I think I was invisible on all cameras,” Steve commented as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a circle of metal the size of his palm. 

T’Challa chuckled, “I’m glad. My father’s scientists started working on it nearly a decade ago. I would not have expected any less.”

Steve frowned as they went through an automatic slide door. T’Challa was amazing. Bucky was indirectly involved with his father’s death, yet here the man was, protecting them. Steve wanted to tell the man how much he admired him for his forgiveness and fortitude, but he didn’t want to bring it up. He didn’t want to bring up the fact that his father, equally amazing, was dead and didn’t want to see the look on his face. Steve wanted T’Challa to always remember his father with the way he thought of him at that moment: a brilliant and great man.

They arrived in the room where Bucky was kept and unlike six months ago, when he first went under, there were no scientists. And there hadn’t been for the past five months. Bucky’s chamber was in the middle of the room, with cords connected to the pod to read his vitals. It was a glass chamber, so it had become so fogged-up and icy that Steve could barely see his friend’s face. From what he could see, he looked peaceful, just like he had looked for six months. Time stopped for his friend, yet everything else around him moved. It was eerie.

“My scientists checked him this morning,” T’Challa said, holding his hands together behind his back, walking around Bucky. “All is well.”

“Thank you,” Steve said meaningfully and slowly. “But I think he’ll be getting out of there soon, Your Highness.”

T’Challa looked at him with raised eyebrows, but didn’t speak.

“I found someone who may help. He’ll be here within the next day.”

“You’ve told someone where we are? I thought we had agreed on you bringing any aid here with you with a bag over his head.”

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “I know, but this guy didn’t seem like that kind of guy…”

“Obedient?” 

Steve laughed and nodded. “This guy, Doctor Strange, he has powers that might help Bucky. We’re the ones asking him for a favor. Maybe he would have turned me into a frog if I disrespected him.”

“I don’t have that kind of power, Captain.”

T’Challa and Steve whipped around to look at the door. The Doctor and Sam were standing there, Sam looking all too amused and the Doctor… not so much.

“How did you get in here?” T’Challa asked harshly.

Sam waved his hand casually. “Sorry, I let him in. The guards saw him and started yelling. I figured he was the guy Cap went to talk to, so I told them to stand down. He’s not exactly… subtle.” Sam gestured to the man’s outfit. 

Steve laughed, walking over to Sam. “Thanks, Sam.”

Doctor Strange coughed into his hand and shut his eyes. “Well? Shall we get started?”

Steve looked at Sam and Sam looked at Steve. They nodded to each other.

“Go ahead,” Steve said, forcing a smile. Yes, he was incredibly nervous. What if whatever this man would do won’t work? Or worse… what if it breaks Bucky? What if it makes him worse than before?

“Hey, Cap,” Sam suddenly said as Doctor Strange went to move closer to the glass chamber. “There isn’t any other way. It’s either this or the guy stays in that pod forever.”

Steve exhaled deeply and looked longingly at Bucky, even though he could hardly see him. “… I know.”

A moment later, and Doctor Strange stood directly in front of Bucky with his eyes closed and his hands forming a strange sign. Steve, Sam, and T’Challa stood around the room, Steve being closest to the Doctor in case anything went wrong. T’Challa called down a couple of scientists to monitor Bucky’s vitals and even perhaps release him if all went well. Steve hoped with every fiber of his being that it went perfectly, but his mind told him it never went that way.

“It is some memories you wish to access but also some memories you wish to cover, correct?” Doctor Strange asked without opening his eyes.

“Yeah,” Sam answered for Steve, who was glad he did. “Can you do it?”

“Memories are like branching paths in a forest. You can only access the memories of the paths of which are uncovered by mulch and grass, but this man…” Doctor Strange began, “… This man’s paths are all disconnected by sections that are covered…” Steve thought of Hydra erasing his memories, “… and if I uncover the wrong ones, then I may awaken the one you call the Winter Soldier.”

Steve felt his heart nearly stop. He grabbed onto his clothing on his chest, feeling restricted and hot. What did any of this mean?

Thankfully, Sam and T’Challa were there.

“So,” Sam began, “Are we gambling here? Will you just ‘uncover’ any random path and hope it’s not a memory of the Winter Soldier?”

“In his state now, yes, that’s what I would be doing,” Doctor Strange answered. “In order to more clearly see the paths I’ll need to uncover, he must be fully awake and aware. He’ll need to simply think about a certain event or time in his life and that will tell me which path he is trying to access.”

Steve shook his head, “This analogy is lost on me.”

Sam waved his hand dismissively, smiling at Steve. “Don’t worry, Cap. I was a pro at Reading in high school. Analogies are my shit. Basically, he’s saying we need to wake Barnes up to contact his memories. Seems simple enough.”

“Should I give the order to cease the cryopreservation?” T’Challa asked. 

Sam nodded.

Steve almost laughed. He fully trusted Sam and with his confidence level at an all-time high, Steve would not argue.

“Do it,” Steve assured, smiling. He walked over to Bucky’s chamber as T’Challa told his scientists to open it up. They began to type furiously on two computers.

Steve stared up at Bucky’s foggy expression. He looked just so damn peaceful. Hopefully, it would last.

The chamber began to steam up and beep rhythmically and Steve watched in anticipation as the pod opened slowly, allowing water and steam to escape. Now, Bucky’s form was in easy view. His skin looked considerably paler than the last time he saw him, but Steve figured it was just a side-effect that would soon go away. His metal arm was no longer there, replaced by a metal stub and a black cover.

There was a long pause before Steve croaked out, “… Bucky?”


	3. Asking Permission and the Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky finally wakes up while everyone else is heading to the scene of the crime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everett Ross, played by Martin Freeman in the movie, will make an appearance. In my story, he will have the same role he had in the movie rather than the comic; a member of the American Joint Counter Terrorism Center and keeping superhero’s power in check. He is basically the link between the government and our superheroes, so he’s got an important role!
> 
> I hope to do the characters justice! Please review and kudos! Enjoy!

“Listen to me, Ross, it’s Hydra,” Natasha said impatiently over the phone to the oh-so-confident Everett K. Ross.

“No, you listen,” the man began in a quick, also quite impatient voice, “You lot aren’t needed. Bangladesh hasn’t even contacted the UN for help nor made any public statement that it is Hydra. It’s most likely an isolated incident. It could easily be a copy-cat.”

Natasha rolled her eyes and looked across the room. Tony and Rhodey were chatting it up on the couch, making glances her way every so often, and Vision, Clint, and Wanda were preparing dinner on the other end of the room in the kitchen. She hadn’t even realized it had gotten so late; almost eight o’clock at night.

Natasha crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair. “And if it isn’t?” she asked, much quieter and calmer. “If it isn’t, then there will be another attack and more people will die. Are you prepared to make that mistake? Just so you don’t have to file a little paperwork?”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “… I’ll need to contact the Secretary of State and the UN. It could take days to get an answer.”

“We don’t have days, Ross.” Natasha was getting antsy. She was still getting used to the Sokovia Accords herself and asking for permission for anything definitely wasn’t her strong suit. 

“Wait… are you sure?” Ross said, but his voice sounded far away from the phone. Natasha realized he wasn’t talking to her. “Okay, right, right.”

“Ross?” Natasha tried.

The man exhaled heavily from the other end and replied, “There’s been another attack. In Thailand.”

Natasha bit her lip and her eyes widened at the news. “… What?”

“Happened only about ten minutes ago. Should reach the media soon. I haven’t gotten word of any card, but the fact that it’s so close to Bangladesh and the magnitude of the attack… it isn’t a coincidence. You have my permission to investigate and fight back yourselves,” Ross said, almost sounding apologetic. 

“What about the UN?” 

“I’ll handle it. The higher-ups can’t deny that you all are needed now.”

“Thank you. We’ll take these guys out before another attack,” Natasha assured and hung up the phone. “Everyone! We’re all set to go.”

“Nice, Nat! How’d you convince him?” Clint said, wiping his flour-caked hands on his waist apron.

Natasha shook her head and stood up, looking crestfallen. “I didn’t convince him of anything.”

“I think I know what did,” Tony said from across the room, pointing at the television. A woman news anchor was speaking, but the caption at the bottom said it all: ATTACK IN THAILAND.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Everything was blank. It could have been an hour to the end of time that he felt nothing. There was no way to be sure.

Instantaneously, he felt so cold his heart might stop. And in that following second, he felt so hot that he thought his skin was on fire. Although these two seconds had such parallels, they were familiar. Like he had done this so many times before. 

“Bucky?”

Bucky… wasn’t that his name? It was. His mind began to turn its gears and process information. His name was Bucky, from Brooklyn, joined the army, and he died falling from a train. Didn’t he? No… that wasn’t right. He was the Winter Soldier. An assassin.

“Vitals are normal.”

He has killed countless people. The faces of his victims went through his mind like a flipbook. Two of them seemed especially important, but he couldn’t recall why.

“Hey, Bucky?”

Wait. Was he really Bucky? He cracked his eyes open and light hit him like a punch to the face. He winced visibly and whipped his head to the side, followed by the feeling of scratchy hair touching his cheek. That was his hair… black and long enough to reach his shoulders. He recalled his appearance and knew that he was Bucky. The Winter Soldier didn’t have a face. Steve…

And everything clicked.

“Mind dimming the lights a bit there, pal?” Bucky asked casually, still squinting, but able to keep his eyes open. The lights became darker and he opened his eyes fully. 

Unsurprisingly, the first face he saw was a concerned look from his best friend and relief washed over him. 

“Nice to see you again, Buck,” Steve said, something akin to a sad smile in his expression.

Bucky leaned forward, trying to get out of the glass pod he was in. “It’s nice to see you, t-!” His voice failed him when he stepped out without realizing the chamber was elevated from the ground, unlike his other cryopreservation tanks. He would have been able to regain his balance, but his equilibrium felt very off and he listed to his right side. Oh, yeah… he didn’t have a left arm.

“I’ve got you,” Steve said as Bucky fell into his arms and steadied him. Bucky almost laughed through his grunt. It was always like this, wasn’t it? Steve always protecting him and caring for him. Bucky just wished that he’d be able to return the favor one day.

“Alright, hold it right… there!” 

Bucky, still leaning against Steve, turned his head to see Sam Wilson, holding up a rectangle made from both his thumbs and pointer fingers and looking through it with one eye.

“I’ve lined up the frame for the kiss scene,” the Falcon said, grinning through the rectangle. “... Action!”

Bucky chuckled and stood up straight while Steve told Sam to shut up. He suddenly realized he was standing next to something tall and red and blue. A man with a long red cape was staring at him with a curious gaze and Bucky thought the man was trying to peer into his soul. The unfamiliar face immediately made Bucky stiffen and cautious.

“Barnes,” T’Challa said, walking up from behind the unfamiliar man. “This is Doctor Strange and he’s going to-”

“Wait, Your Highness,” Steve suddenly interrupted. “Is there any way we can delay it for an hour? He should really eat. And shower.”

‘It’? Bucky watched the interaction before him with mild interest.

“As long as your guest is willing to stay,” T’Challa answered, looking towards the Doctor. “It’d be my pleasure to show you around and treat you to a meal after your long journey here.”

The unfamiliar man rose an eyebrow curiously and nodded. “Very well, then. Let’s have our session in an hour.”

“Thank you,” Steve said, smiling.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Steve watched Bucky scarf down the grilled chicken in front of him, using the fork more like a shovel than a utensil. It had been twenty minutes since the man came out of cryostasis and after taking a long shower, they were seated at a table in one of the lobbies of T’Challa’s base.

“Jeez, man, you’re gonna choke,” Sam warned, observing Bucky eat carefully and interestedly, as if he were watching a talent show.

Bucky spoke with a full mouth and even though it was impossible to understand, he was clearly trying to defend his actions, so Steve only rolled his eyes.

After a minute, Bucky finally put his fork down to chug the glass of water. He exhaled sharply and said breathlessly, “How long was I under?”

“Six months,” Steve answered.

“Is that guy with the cape going to help me get rid of what Hydra put in me?”

“Well…” Steve began, fumbling for the right words in his head. He felt like it would be difficult to explain to him that they couldn’t get rid of it… they actually had to access the information. What would Bucky think?

“Thing is, Barnes,” Sam interjected. “… we need you. There was a big attack in Bangladesh and a card with that same damn star on your shoulder was at the scene.”

Bucky grew quiet and looked down at the table, visibly trying to think about the situation. 

“The Russian word for cold-blooded was on the-” 

“Sam, stop,” Steve interrupted quickly. “He’s not thinking about it at all until we can get his thoughts under control. Not until Doctor Strange is using his, um… magic.”

Bucky scoffed, noticeably forcing a smile. “Magic?” he repeated mockingly.

Steve shrugged. “But… we will be working with the others on this one. Everyone needs to work together if we’re going to stop another attack.”

Bucky went quiet again and seemed to look at nothing in particular. “Does that mean… Stark…?”

Steve nodded and continued, “Yes, but don’t worry, Bu-”

“He shouldn’t have to look at me,” Bucky said, interrupting Steve. 

“… What?”

“He shouldn’t have to see my face,” Bucky said in a voice so quiet, it was nearing to a whisper. “I killed his parents.”

Steve frowned. “That wasn’t you, Buck. But I won’t say he’s gotten over it. He probably never will, but he knows what’s at stake here. He already knows that we need you to save lives. I’ve spoken with him and everyone agrees.”

Bucky looked up at him with steel-blue eyes that just screamed hesitance and vulnerability. “Everyone? Agrees… to what?”

Sam slammed his hand on the table. “Everyone, man! Almost all the Avengers think that you can help us. We all agreed that we need you.”

There was a long silence, but then Bucky gave a short chuckle followed by a solemn smile, looking at the ground.

“What is it?” Steve asked and couldn’t help but smile with him.

Bucky shut his eyes and leaned back in his chair, giving the same peaceful look he expressed while in cryostasis. “Just… happy, is all.”

That sentence hurt Steve more than any physical injury could.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Tony sat at in the pilot’s chair with his legs crossed and his foot bouncing in his three-hundred dollar loafers. His private plane was easy to drive himself. Hell, he designed the thing, but it wasn’t the flying that was making him nervous.

“Come on, do it!” Clint pressured outside of the cockpit. 

“I am still unsure if this is a good idea,” Vision replied, leaning forward in one of the chairs.

Tony looked behind him to see Clint egging Vision on to shoot a beam from the gem in his forehead at a jewel Clint had swiped from Stark Tower.

“I concur that statement!” Tony called, and then flicked a switch on the plane’s dashboard to engage auto-pilot.

“It’s not going to work,” Nat said absent-mindedly, leaning back in her own chair and looking down at her phone. 

“Please, Vision,” Clint pleaded, “We have to prove her wrong.”

“Why do you feel you always have to do that?” Wanda asked, leaning against her elbow on the armrest of her chair. 

Clint furrowed his eyebrows. “You can’t deny that we have a perfect rivalry. Therefore, I must always be right.”

Vision suddenly narrowed his eyes and a soft beam of light shot from his forehead and hit the jewel. The light exploded into tiny fragments across the inside of the plane.

“I knew it! It’s like a disco ball!” Clint laughed, turning the jewel in his hand to create a moving effect. 

The Avengers stared at the small beauty before them, all but one. Tony was not able to find joy in it when so many annoying thoughts flew through his mind. First, he wished Rhodey was there with them. But everyone knew that the man would no longer be taking a part of their missions because of his injury. And although there were clear sides in the situation with the Accords, everyone seemed to remain friends, even Tony when he found out it was Zemo behind everything that happened. But after he found out about what happened to his parents… to his mom… But it wasn’t expected of him, right? How could he just forget what had happened? That damned Winter Soldier… And damn Cap for defending the bastard.

“Hey, I got a message from Cap,” Natasha called out.

Vision immediately stopped projecting the light from his head and everyone paused to listen to Nat.

“Seems our boy has woken up and they’ll be getting started with trying to clean out his brain,” the Black Widow announced, and then glanced back down at the phone. “They’re gonna head over to Thailand and meet us there when they’re finished.”

Tony kept his face completely straight and blank. It was as if he had so many emotions trying to get through that they all simply couldn’t fit.


	4. Suppressing the Soldier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doctor Strange "fixes" Bucky as best he can and along with that, the plot moves forward! Who is the mysterious man?

“I’ll need for you to shut your eyes and take a deep breath.”

The newly fed and cleaned man before him did as he was told. Doctor Stephen Strange glanced at Rogers, who seemed very focused on their session. Session was an odd term to use, but the doctor couldn’t think of a better word to describe what he was about to do; something similar to hypnotization and therapy all in one. With a dash of magic, of course. No… most likely plenty of magic to play with the mind of a broken man.

Stephen chose not to ask questions. He wasn’t the curious type when it came to others, as he was a man of little sharing himself. The Eye of Agamotto told him when Steve Rogers, Captain America, came into his chambers that this was an important quest. Clairvoyance told him. And now, sitting before this one-armed, dark-haired man, he was certain when he felt he would change the most likely fates of others. He seemed to be a man outside Destiny’s reach; while so many others were pawns, James Buchanan Barnes seemed to be the out-of-place piece that could turn the tides of the game. And that interested Stephen to the point of wanting to get involved while he usually kept his nose to himself.

Barnes cleared his throat and opened one eye. “We gonna get started?”

Stephen frowned. “Impatience can cause wise people to do foolish things.”

The Winter Soldier chuckled, but still kept his eyes shut. “You think I’m wise?”

“You could be,” Stephen answered absent-mindedly, but fully believing it himself.

Stephen took in his surroundings, an important skill for someone who was about to delve into another’s mind. Stephen and Barnes were seated across from each other at a table within an enclosed room. The Winter Soldier asked for a small room with only one door and no windows. Stephen knew why. Rogers stood in the corner of the room with crossed arms, waiting patiently. Stephen, after all, needed him. Sam Wilson and the King of Wakanda stood outside of the room, prepared in case anything were to happen. Stephen assured them that he would have full control for any situation, but it seemed as though the Avengers were a distrustful bunch. 

Stephen reached into the duffel bag he brought with them and pulled out a massive book that almost seemed to glow.

“This is called the Book of the Vishanti,” he mentioned casually as he began to flip through its pages. “It will provide me the spells that I’ll need.”

“Spells?” Barnes questioned, peeking an eye open to look upon the grimoire. “So you’ll really be doing magic?”

“Shall I show you?” Stephen asked with a small smirk. But before Barnes could answer, Stephen reached across the table and tapped the man on the middle of his forehead. A wave of energy exploded from the point of contact that released no sound, but could be felt. Barnes’ head immediately whipped back and then his body slumped backwards against the chair.

“What the hell did you just do?” Rogers asked furiously, stepping forward.

“I’ve immobilized his body,” Stephen explained as he flipped through pages of the Book of the Vishanti, looking for a spell in particular. “He is able to hear things and feel things. A simple trick, I assure you.”

Rogers breathed out, rubbing the back of his neck. “Simple?” he asked breathlessly.

“Now, Mr. Rogers,” Stephen began, “I’ll need you to begin speaking about pleasant memories you’ve had with this man. I will delve into his mind and as you speak of an event with him, so speak quietly.”

Stephen watched as Captain America nodded and then moved towards his friend, and began whispering into his ear. Stephen saw the concern in Rogers eyes, the gentleness of his touch against his friend’s shoulder. The Winter Soldier meant a lot to the man, that much was clear. The doctor would not accept failure for that very reason. Stephen shut his eyes and spoke the spell he had found. 

Immediately, his world went dark. He expected as much. 

It was always a strange feeling to be inside the mind of another, but strangeness is what Stephen excelled at. Lights in the darkness popped, as if there were tiny explosions. Stephen knew those were the memories Barnes was being reunited with because of Roger’s whispers. He was sure not to touch them, as it were the dark memories that he was most interested in. He knew he could not rid the man of the memories he collected as the Winter Soldier, as they were needed. The only solution, then, were to bind them; to suppress them until he was externally and directly reminded of them. It was an easy solution to a big problem, but the risk was too great. Stephen knew he couldn’t leave without adding some kind of safety net. 

Stephen muttered the spell incantation and bindings made of light seemed to worm its way through the darkness and wrap themselves around rods of blackness. Stephen immediately felt the after-effects of such a strong spell and he could feel his mind leaving him. With the last ounce of strength, he added the safety net.

Instantly, light exploded into his eyes and he threw himself backwards, toppling out of the chair he had forgotten he was sitting on. 

“Hey, hey!” Rogers shouted, running and then kneeling next to him. He grabbed his shoulders, steadying Stephen. “What happened?”

“I-It’s done,” Stephen assured breathlessly, lightly pushing Captain America away to give himself room to breathe. Stephen glanced upwards from his position on the ground, but upon seeing no Winter Soldier, he looked down. Barnes was lying on the ground as well, on the other side of the table.

“He started convulsing…” Rogers said concernedly, “Are you sure you did it?”

Stephen groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, steadying himself on the table’s edge. “I’m certain. Otherwise it wouldn’t be so difficult to stand.”

Rogers nodded, taking the time to put his hand on the doctor’s shoulders, trying to steady him as well. It was a kind gesture, but unneeded.

“It would have been easier to erase his memories of his time as the Winter Soldier,” Stephen began, picking up his chair from the ground. “But I knew you needed them. So, what I’ve done is bind his memories; restricted, unless called upon by the environment around him. Meaning, he can be reminded of his past, but in small dosages. I’ve also added a… safety net of sorts, if he were to revert back to the Winter Soldier.”

“A safety net?”

“Yes. Whenever he hears the word Sputnik, he will lose conscious.”

Rogers released air he had visibly been holding. He looked relieved and that brought comfort to Stephen.

Rogers smiled and asked, “Why Sputnik?”

Stephen smirked, whipping his cape to the side in a flourish. “I’m a fan of space, Mr. Rogers.”

-X-X-X-X-X-

“Neobychaynyy,” Natasha read casually, flipping the card over. “It means extraordinary, or rare.”

“So, what, this guy is proud of his work?” Clint responded, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall of the police station. 

Natasha rolled her eyes and pressed a finger to her ear, “You got that, Stark?”

“Loud and clear, Romanov,” came Tony’s sarcastic reply into her ear. 

“Vision?” Natasha called quietly, still holding her finger to her ear.

“It is all clear with no disruptions outside. I suggest you leave and take this opportunity,” Vision said back.

Natasha exhaled heavily, putting the card within the evidence bag back into the drawer. “Duly noted.” She looked towards Clint, they both nodded to each other, and they began to sneak out of the evidence room of the police station in Thailand. They had to find out what word was on the card, but the police had not released that evidence to the media. 

Natasha and Clint came up to a corner of a wall that would lead them through the lobby and out the door. The only problem was the crowd of policemen and citizens wandering around. Natasha pressed her back against the wall and peek her head out to assess the situation. Way too few people to walk through without being noticed, but too many people to walk through without bumping into somebody and giving away their positions. She and Clint didn’t exactly have enough time to buy disguises. She glanced upwards at each corner of the ceiling, remembering the position of each camera. They couldn’t afford to be caught on camera. The UN would have their asses for sneaking into a police station. 

At times like this, Natasha was glad she had a team.

“Tony, kill the cameras,” she said into her mic. “Wanda, you know what to do, but only after Stark does his job.”

“Ok,” came both of their replies at once. 

A moment later, Stark adds, “It’s done.”

“Now, Wanda,” Natasha said.

Instantly, Wanda’s red mist entered the building and each person inhaled it through their noses and stopped their moment. It was almost as if time had stopped for each one of them.

Natasha jabbed Clint in the shoulder to get his attention and they both ran through the lobby, making sure not to collide with anyone. Once they burst through the doors to the outside, Natasha turned back around and through the glass walls, she could see that Wanda ceased the effects of her powers and the citizens continued to move as if they weren’t frozen.

“The cameras-!” Natasha yelled, realizing that if more than a minute of camera footage seemed missing, they would be suspicious.

“I did it, I did it,” Stark’s voice said into her ear. “Yeesh, you’re more uptight than Eyepatch used to be.”

Natasha ignored him as she and Clint began walking towards Tony’s jet.

“So, ‘cold-blooded’ and ‘extraordinary’…” Clint said quietly, stretching his limbs. “Any ideas on what that could mean?”

Natasha shook her head and smirked. “No, but I’m hoping Barnes knows. He is our secret weapon, after all.”

-X-X-X-X-X-

Bucky didn’t dream. He never did. If something played in his mind while he was asleep, it wasn’t a dream about him frolicking in a flower meadow underneath rainbows. His mind would replay memories in his head, usually pleasant ones including Steve, but they always turned into nightmares. He would get brief flashes of his missions as the Winter Soldier; blood-soaked hands and horror-stricken faces. 

But this time as he slept, he envisioned a memory of Steve, fighting alongside him and then sleeping over at his place because Bucky secretly felt lonely. The memory didn’t end in a nightmare like it always did. It ended when Steve repeated back to him with a beaten face, “… because I’m with you to the end of the line.” That was the first time in decades that Bucky remembered who he was. It was as if he were being reborn. And that was the beginning of the end of the Winter Soldier.

Bucky opened his eyes peacefully, inhaling deeply as if he had woken up from a deep, deep sleep. It truly felt like that. 

“You awake?” Bucky easily recognized the voice as Steve’s.

Bucky didn’t even groan as he sat up, feeling incredibly well-rested. He quickly recognized that he was in a small aircraft, just behind the cockpit, having slept on a large seat that was reclined completely horizontally. Steve was in the cockpit, seemingly flying the aircraft, with Sam sitting in the passenger seat. However, something felt strange. He glanced to his left side and saw that his metal arm had been replaced underneath a black jacket he didn’t remember putting on.

“What the h…?” he mumbled to himself, reaching over to touch it gently.

Sam leaned to the side of his chair and looked back at him. “You’ve been asleep a looooong time, pal.”

Bucky felt so confused that he couldn’t even think of a reply.

“Doctor Strange put you in an unconscious state for about two days,” Steve began to explain. “T’Challa was nice enough to get your arm back. It was titanium alloy, right? That’s what his scientists said.”

Bucky shook his head and said absent-mindedly, “… I don’t know. Where are we going?”

“Thailand. We only have a couple hours left until we get there,” Sam answered.

There was a long silence after that. Bucky was just trying to catch up, but it was afraid to ask the single most important question in his life.

“… Is it gone?” he asked quietly. Steve and Sam turned around to look at him. “Am I better now? Was that doctor able to fix me?”

Another paused before Steve pulled himself together to answer. That couldn’t be a good sign. 

“You’re much better than before, Buck,” he said, seemingly smiling sincerely. “It’s kind of hard to understand, but basically, I think he just made it so that you can access your memories, but suppressed the effects of doing that on your mind.”

Bucky relaxed a bit. Maybe he could be himself for a while longer.

“We really need those memories, so we couldn’t ask him to get rid of them,” Sam added, yawning. “Like I was saying a long time ago, there was an attack in Bangladesh, but since then, there’s been another attack in Thailand that Romanov told us about. In both cases, there was a card found at the scene with that star on your shoulder and a Russian word on the back.”

“Right,” Bucky nodded, remembering when Sam tried to say earlier before Steve stopped him. “What were the words?”

“First word was cold-blooded,” Steve interjected. “We don’t know the second yet. Last I heard, Nat was breaking into the police station that was holding it because they wouldn’t release the info.”

Bucky struggled to look through the files in his mind and rubbed the back of his neck underneath his long black hair. “Eeh… I’m not sure. That’s not enough to remind me of something. Cold-blooded could mean anything.”

“Oh, here,” Sam said suddenly and tossed a little black ring to Bucky, who caught it with his metal hand. “Didn’t have enough time for a haircut, so just pull it back.”

Bucky laughed, grinning widely. “Are you serious?”

Sam scoffed, standing up from his seat and walked over to Bucky, holding the side of the plane to keep his balance. “I guess you still think of the fashion in, what? The 1920s?”

“1940s,” Steve corrected.

“Whatever, old man,” Sam retorted as he sat beside Bucky. “Turn around.”

Bucky did as he was told. Sam’s hands immediately went through his hair, yanking and twisting it painfully.

“Ouch! What are you doing?” Bucky cried, trying to still his head.

“Giving you a much-needed makeover. It’s called a man-bun, pops,” Sam said and the sound of elastic snapping ended his painful endeavor. 

Bucky reached up and touched the hair tentatively. “This is what men wear now?”

Sam shrugged as he made his way back to his passenger seat. “Only the badasses. Now it won’t get in your way until you get your hair cut.”

“That’s true…” Bucky said, mesmerized by the feeling. It seemed a tad feminine, but it was much easier to see and he wasn’t so hot anymore. “It’s much more practical than anything.”

Sam scoffed, “Whatever you wanna tell yourself, man.”

-X-X-X-X-X-

The mysterious man remained in Hat Yai, Thailand for unknown reasons. He would have moved forward in his plan, but fate stood in the way. He tightened his beige coat around his body and dipped his head forward so no one could see his face. To the unbeknownst civilian, it would seem he was a terrorist with an agenda full of destruction and casualties. But that was not the case. He was looking for something. For someone. And he wanted to see that person in action, to test that person’s capabilities. The man needed to be seen as a threat and only big, elaborate attacks would get this person’s attention. 

The man was safely hidden within an alley way across from the police station. When he saw an orange-haired women and a man step out of it, a sinister smile grew on his face from ear to ear. If they were here… that meant the one he was looking for was here.

His plan was falling into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doctor Strange quotes Janette Oke when he is telling Bucky to not be impatient. I thought it was a great quote, so I just had to throw it in there! Also, the use of Sputnik is what happened in the comics, so that is NOT my idea! Only the application of it was mine. :) 
> 
> There’s a lot of speculation about what Bucky’s metal arm was made out of. Experts on the Marvel Universe in general put all their money on titanium alloy, even though in the movie, his arm reacted with T’Challa’s ring, but his arm was blown off by Iron Man's blast. So… this was a bit difficult to maneuver, but I decided to go with the experts. 
> 
> Do me a solid and comment or give me a kudos to let me know that this is all worth it! I want to know if everyone is enjoying reading it as much as I’m enjoying writing it!
> 
> Also, the fateful meeting between Bucky and Tony will happen next chapter! Of course, Steve too... but more like third-wheeling. :)


	5. Back in Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mysterious man unveils himself... who did he want? And why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My, my, two chapters in one day. I'm spoiling us all. I just couldn't wait to get this out there, because it's finally an action-packed chapter. I truly hope everyone enjoys this! Please do let me know in the comments section or just leave a kudos. As always, I hope to do the characters justice! Enjoy!

Tony groaned as he stood up from the hotel room’s less-than-comfortable chair. He took his scotch in his hand, having bought the cheap bottle across the street at a convenience store. He was by himself in his large hotel room that was fit to hold all his companions… yet why was he the only one here?

It was twilight, just on the cusp of becoming dark. He walked over to the window and pushed aside the curtains to look over the city of Hat Yai, Thailand. The city streets were almost empty, probably because of the country going into security-mode after such a horrific attack. Granted, not as bad as Bangladesh, but bad enough that the city was in a state of emergency. 

With nothing else to do until Steve, Wilson, and the Winter Soldier arrived, Clint wanted to go drinking at an actual bar. He managed to convince Nat and Wanda, but Vision seemed much less thrilled with the idea. Instead, he took to the skies and patrolled the city. That supposed ‘computer’ seemed to be the most caring out of everyone there… especially Tony. He wanted to fight for the world, but his chest squeezed every time he thought about a fight. He was pummeled by Steve and the Winter Soldier. He was so furious that he couldn’t even remember if he did any damage to them himself. All he could remember from that event was the pain, both mentally and physically. 

Tony claimed he just wanted to go to sleep when the four of them left, which he intended on doing, but the sweet burn of alcohol called out to him. And now, well, he was starving. He walked over to the only desk in the room and flipped through the hotel’s booklet. No menu. Damn. That meant a convenience store dinner would have to do.

Ten minutes of trying to decide what he wanted in the store, Tony decided on instant ramen. As he stepped out of the store while the sliding door beeped, he chuckled to himself.

“Feels like I’m in college again,” he mumbled, smiling mostly out of humiliation that pleasant nostalgia. 

Twilight was officially gone with the oncoming darkness of night. Hat Yai, Thailand was known for their skimpy bars and karaoke and strip clubs. Normally, he’d jump at the opportunity, but it seemed… inappropriate. After all, any big event would most likely be cancelled. States of emergency usually did that to business. He was surprised at all that his companions had even been gone for twenty minutes at all. Maybe they found one tiny bar that would go out of business if it were closed for a single day.

Tony gripped the plastic bag harder as he walked across the street, jogging lightly to ensure he made it through before a car came. He had just a few blocks to walk to get back to the hotel.

He swore he could hear another pair of footsteps behind him.

-X-X-X-X-X-

“She’s not answering,” Steve announced as he pulled his phone away from his ear.

Bucky chuckled to himself, smiling. He seemed genuinely distraught, as if he were completely stuck without Romanov. 

“Is that really such a big surprise?” Sam scoffed. “Did you try Stark? He’s the tech guy, isn’t he?”

The three of them exited the taxi after the ride from the airport. They had simply asked to be brought to the middle of Hat Yai, with no idea where their companions were. It was already dark when they arrived.

Steve shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve been trying to limit my contact with him, honestly.”

Bucky felt like he had no right to reassure his best friend, after all, he was dreading it. His guilt for Stark and his parents was overwhelming. He felt that he was the one who broke up the Avengers… he was the reason why Steve seemed to lose all his friends. Bucky truly felt he wasn’t worth it. But he was aware enough to know that sulking and playing the guilt card would get him nowhere. He tightened a fist with his metal arm, feeling its power. He would do whatever he could to make it up to Steve. To Stark. To everyone. He owed his life to these people, even Stark. Perhaps especially Stark.

“I think I might go to where the attack happened,” Bucky mumbled, interrupting the conversation he didn’t know Steve and Sam were having.

“Alright, we’ll go with you,” Steve said, spinning around and already entirely too prepared to do whatever Bucky wanted.

Bucky shook his head. “No, I’ll go alone.”

There was a brief pause before Steve smiled humorlessly and said, “You really think that’s a good idea, Buck? With everything that’s happened with you?”

Bucky casually raised his arms and began to walk backwards, grinning. “What? You don’t trust me?”

“You know that’s not it,” Steve said sternly, but not stopping him.

Bucky spun around on his heels and began walking away. “Just flip on your mic! I’ll let you know where I am at all times.”

“I swear, if you just want to visit a strip club-!” Sam yelled after him.

Bucky laughed, waving his metal hand at them before turning a corner. His smile vanished when he left their line of sight. He just wanted time alone since he never seemed to get any since he was taken in by Hydra. He also wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to visit the sight of the attack. He wanted to take it all in and figure things out for himself. 

Bucky absent-mindedly touched the bun made out of his hair. He patted his black combat pants and then tightened his black jacket around his torso. It was strangely chilly. He expected Thailand to be hot. He also expected tons of people, but only a few people seemed to be walking around at eight o’clock at night. He should’ve figured it, after all, it was only a day after a horrible incident.

He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a tourist’s map of Hat Yai. He found the government building’s position, quite a long way away. Would probably take thirty minutes to walk there. 

Bucky folded the map back up, stuffed it back into his pockets, and continued on.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Tony wasn’t an idiot. He knew when he was being followed. The only question was whether to move slowly or move quickly.

When he heard the footsteps suddenly rushing, his question was answered for him. He dropped the bag of ramen and his hand immediately went to his wrist, moving his sleeve to touch a button on his watch. However, his watch was being covered by a human hand grasping his wrist. Tony would have been lying if he said his stomach didn’t jump to his throat.

“Trying to call your friends?” the man said in a thick accent that Tony couldn’t place an origin for. He turned to look at the man, but was met with a monster instead. The man looked damn near seven feet tall, towering over Tony’s figure, and completely covered in a beige trench coat. 

Tony wanted to retort, but fear clogged his throat. He wasn’t trying to call his ‘friends’, as he felt he could only trust himself. He was going to call for his Iron Man suit. Did this guy not even know who he was?

“Anthony Stark, yes?” the man questioned, elongating the ‘s’ to sound like a snake. Well damn. Guess he did know who he was. 

Tony lightly tapped the heel of his left foot three times. Now all he needed to do was stall.

He forced a chuckle and said, “Who… Who’s that?” he tried, but couldn’t control a break in his voice. “My name is Mark… Mark Rhodey…” He couldn’t think of anything else.

The man’s reply sounded like it went through a rather large smile. “Nice try.”

Tony didn’t realize he couldn’t move. The man’s hand still covered his wrist, but his body moved closer.

“You’ll be coming with me, Mr. Stark,” the man said as he reached around Tony’s waist with his other arm. Tony suddenly whipped his head up, colliding the back of his head with the man’s chin. The crazy stalker grunted and stumbled backwards, giving Tony a chance to stumble forwards.

Instantly, the sound of an engine could be heard and Tony straightened his legs and raised one arm. Tony’s suit came to him in small parts, covering his feet and up to his shin, and then his entire right arm. He mostly planned this as a back-up and didn’t expect to use it so early, but he was pleased the parts came to him, especially the legs.

Tony pointed his palm at the man, still trying to regain his composure for a moment more and set a bolt of power at him, seemingly sending him to the ground. Tony then immediately activated his feet and levitated off the ground. He needed to get away, just for a little bit so he could gather the rest of his suit, but he couldn’t let this man go. He was clearly dangerous. 

Tony spun around and immediately took off. Or, at least he thought he did. He actually stayed in one place. Fearing his technology was failing him, he looked down, but he found that the man had grabbed onto his ankle with one arm, holding him in the air even with all the power in Tony’s Iron Man boots. The wind from the power knocked the hood off the man and Tony got a pretty clear view of his face; a young man, maybe in his thirties, with a square jaw and short, blonde hair that matched his yellow-pigmented skin. His eyes seemed to glow red and that’s when Tony knew he had to get the hell out of there.

He pulled his free leg back to give the guy a kick to his face, but the man inhaled sharply and with what looked like all his strength, gripped Tony’s ankle and smashed his entire body onto the concrete ground. His mind was sent reeling when his head hit, but he thankfully was able to shield it from the ground with his arm, which snapped upon impact.

He cried out in pain, which only reverberated in his head and made him nauseous. 

“You’re pretty powerless without your entire suit, aren’t you?” the man mocked, dusting his hands off each other. 

Tony groaned as he turned over onto his back; every color and sound seemed to be meshing together. He had no doubt that he had a concussion. He shut his eyes, trying to will the effects away.

“Oh, we have some witnesses?”

Tony snapped open his eyes immediately and turned his head to the side. He could see a few civilians, backing away but looking terrified. A young woman with what looked like a boyfriend, and a man coming out of a building, suddenly shocked and too terrified to move. Tony experienced that first-hand.

The man cracked his knuckles and took a step towards them, “We’ll have to fix that.”

Tony forced his body to move, not allowing another casualty, especially while he was around. He lifted his Iron Man arm and shot another bolt of power at the man’s back, sending him flying forward, only to roll back onto his feet once his body hit the ground. Great, another damn martial artist expert. His coat was burnt through, showing the skin on his back. 

The man stood up straight, turned to Tony, and even from a distance, the billionaire could see his smile, glowing in the moonlight. His hands began to melt. What the hell? Both the man’s arms began to melt as well. It was as if he were disappearing. After the melting reached his shoulders, his entire body melted immediately. 

From his position on his back from the ground, Tony couldn’t see that the puddle the man became shot towards him. He instantly materialized on top of Tony, sitting on his stomach as if to humiliate him. In a fit of rage, Tony threw a punch with his powered-up arm that was broken at the man’s face, but it passed right through him. 

That was when Tony felt panic. Was this man like Vision?

Tony’s left cheek took a hard punch, sending his head to the right and his mind reeling from the blow. He could instantly taste blood. And then he took another blow to his right side.

“I. Need. You. To. Go. To. Sleep!” the man yelled between punches. But Tony could barely hear him over the sound of his own thumping heart beat and the sound of his blood rushing in his ears. This scene easily reminded him of when Steve beat his face until his helmet came off. It was only a little different because his actual face took all the blows. His consciousness was beginning to fade and his eyesight blurred and blackened around the edges.

The man pulled back his fist for what looked like his final punch with a smile. That was when a leg swiftly flew into Tony’s sight and the front of the boot collided explosively with the man’s face, sending his body torpedoing off of Tony’s body. There was so much power in that kick that Tony could feel a gust of wind hitting his bloodied and damaged face.

Tony propped his body up on his elbows, watching with dizzying pleasure as the man’s body actually skipped on the ground twice until it slowed to a stop. That looked like that hurt more than Tony felt.

“Move! Get out of here!” 

Tony heard a very unfamiliar voice and he watched as the civilians that were frozen in spot before listen to the voice and run away screaming. Why didn’t Tony think of that? Yelling would usually do the trick. He allowed his head to lull back to see who had, ultimately, saved him, even though that was difficult to admit.

The first thing he noticed was the give-away that immediately sent his thoughts and heart in a frenzy; a metal hand that reflected any light that hit it. Even though the arm was mostly covered by a jacket’s sleeve, Tony knew whose hand that belonged to. His eyes travelled up the body; broad shoulders connected to a thick, muscular neck connected to a head full of dark hair, that was strangely pulled up into a bun. 

Tony’s jaw set in anger upon seeing the Winter Soldier standing above him. This, he did not expect.


	6. All Too Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky does what he can to protect Tony, but is that enough?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has commented and gave my story a kudos! I greatly appreciate every single one! Also, if you have an idea or moment to happen between characters, shoot me a PM with your idea! I love stories like that because it is much more interactive. Plus, it's always great to have a moment you always imagined would happen, but never happened in writing or in the movies. Now is your chance! Don't be shy. 
> 
> Also, let me know what you think about this chapter! I struggled just a bit with it. As always, I hope to do the characters justice. Please enjoy!

When Bucky heard a cry echoing in the night, his body jumped into action. He ran his fastest, the scenery blurred because he moved so quickly. It was difficult to tell, but he was sure he knocked a couple people into bushes with his speed. 

He took a sharp right, forcing him to slow down and halt to assess the situation. There were people huddling together, staring at two figures writhing on the ground in the middle of an empty street. It was a bit dark, but the moonlight as well as street lights and store signs were able to light up the area enough to make out what Bucky needed to see.

An unfamiliar man was beating on someone relentlessly, viciously. And although Bucky couldn’t make out their features, he recognized the legs of the one being pummeled as Iron Man’s… as Stark’s. 

Bucky inhaled sharply through his nose, fury rising in his very being. He saw red. How peculiar.

The next thing he knew, Bucky was connecting his boot with the enemy’s face, the sound of cracks and popping loud. He felt great pleasure watching the body fly backwards and skid across the concrete. When Bucky put his foot back on the ground, he exhaled slowly, releasing his anger.

He swiped his arm in the air, gesturing to the civilians. “Move! Get out of here!” 

They immediately did as he told them to do. He could recall on missions with Steve that sometimes, men would become so frozen with fear that their bodies wouldn’t move. Only with pushing from others were people able to ignore their fear and do whatever they could. Bucky couldn’t recall ever being in that position… after all, he was always by Captain America’s side. He never had anything to fear.

Bucky, still in a wide stance, looked down at Stark and noticed his beaten face. This view looked so familiar… and that angered Bucky.

Remembering about Steve, Bucky immediately reached into his pocket to flip the switch of the microphone and pressed his finger to his ear.

“Steve!” he yelled into the mic, “Get my coordinates! Stark’s-!” Bucky was interrupted when some kind of liquid shot at him at an incredible speed and hit him in the stomach. The air was knocked from his lungs and left him clambering for oxygen. 

He looked down to see a severed fist pushing into his gut. He was so shocked that he didn’t see a booted foot coming from his right side and colliding with the side of his head, sending him to the ground. Where the hell was the actual body? What was happening?

Bucky got to his feet as soon as he could and found no enemy. He whipped his head around, searching frantically for his opponent. He looked towards Stark, who was being dragged away by the severed hand grasping the back of his shirt.

Did it want Stark?

Bucky dashed forward, quickly catching up to him, and grabbed the front of Stark’s shirt with his original hand, holding him in place. Without thinking, he slammed his metal hand onto the severed hand. To his surprise, the bones in the fingers crushed beneath his fist and he heard a pained cry from a hundred yards away. Bucky turned his head towards the yell.

“Don’t touch me!”

Bucky looked back at Stark, somewhat confused if he was the one who said that. But when Bucky looked down to see the Iron Man’s palm pointing at his chest, he didn’t really have to wonder anymore. 

Bucky was relatively uninjured. A few knocks to the head hardly damaged him. So, he could get out of the way in time before Stark would shoot him. He knew he could and he was going to. But when Bucky saw the look on the man’s face, his body simply froze. Everything in his face spoke hatred and uncertainty, covered in blood; everything but his eyes. His eyes told a different story. His eyes were gleaming in the moonlight, even under a half-closed one from bruising, from unshed tears and sadness. So, Bucky couldn’t move. It was shocking to see Tony Stark, the man who tried to kill him, display such emotions in front of him. It was also heart-wrenching. This is what he feared the most; having Stark see his face and having Bucky see his reaction to him. To see the direct link to his victims as the Winter Soldier.

Bucky was unsure when his chest lit up in white, hot pain whether he couldn’t dodge it because he was so stunned to see Stark reduced to such a state… or whether he believed he deserved it. 

His body was propelled a few feet into the air and he landed on his back on the concrete. Bucky was so rattled that he simply laid there, staring at the night sky. Why did he expect anything more than to be greeted that way? Without his normal armored black suit, the feeling of Stark’s power wasn’t exactly dulled. It burned like hell. Bucky groaned as he sat up, seeing that his clothes were burned through at his chest, showing scorch marks on his skin. Damn.

“Well, isn’t that interesting?”

Bucky immediately became aware of his stillness and he used all his agility to roll to the side, narrowly missing a foot stomp to the face. He jumped to his feet and saw the enemy in front of him, a bit closer now. It was a young man with blonde hair… he looked familiar.

“The Winter Soldier, protecting Iron Man? Interesting plot development,” the man said, raising his arms. 

Bucky frowned, keeping his legs wide in case he needed to move quickly. “… Who are you? Are you the one behind the attacks?”

The man cocked his head to the side quizzically. “You mean you don’t know?”

“Should I?”

The man chuckled, “… It hardly matters.”

Suddenly, the man burst into thousands of tiny droplets that shot forward at Bucky. Bucky had no idea where to look or where to move or counterstrike. The man’s head suddenly materialized and smashed against Bucky’s forehead with such force that Bucky was sent staggering back. He then took a swipe at the man’s head, which immediately turned to liquid when his fist made contact. Without a clue of what was happening, Bucky only had one plan; attack relentlessly.

He took a step back to use that leg to propel his other one forward, kicking at the liquid droplets still hanging in the air. He was pleased to see that they moved with his leg and that the man didn’t just faze right through him. That meant he was real… and whatever liquid he became was real. While he was busy trying to realize what was happening, his cheek took a punch from a fist that randomly appeared in the air and he could taste blood in his mouth. His legs suddenly were suddenly thrown out from underneath him and he landed on the ground, using his elbow to keep his upper body off the ground. He expected to see the droplets in front of him, but they were gone. And then pain exploded on the back of his head and neck, smashing his body into the ground. Bucky just couldn’t keep track of what was happening… he had never faced someone with a power like he had.

“You can’t beat me again,” the man said, and Bucky just knew he was sneering. 

Bucky squeezed his eyes tightly to sustain the pain of his face digging into concrete. He was only vaguely aware that the man said ‘again’. 

“He may not,” an unfamiliar British-accented voice announced in the night sky. “But I believe I can.”

The pressure on Bucky’s head released and he immediately rolled away and got to his feet. He looked up to see someone familiar, even though he had never heard his voice. It was the bald, purple man he saw at the airport. The one that could shoot beams out of his forehead. With his cape, he remotely reminded Bucky of Doctor Strange. 

The purple man landed lightly and delicately on the ground, as if he were an angel. He instantly kneeled next to Stark, who was still lying on the ground. They exchanged a few words that Bucky couldn’t hear, and then the purple man stood up straight.

“It seems you are not welcome here,” he said and Bucky’s heart jumped and he truly wished he wasn’t speaking to him.

“Who the hell are you?” the enemy asked, thankfully looking on-guard.

The man smiled genuinely. “My name is Vision.” He began to take slow steps forward. “You are the culprit behind the attacks, correct?” 

The enemy did not answer, but instead replied with a charge and threw a punch at the man’s cheek. To Bucky’s surprise, it sounded and looked as if he had punched a wall. Vision’s head did not move or react to the punch at all. It was as if it didn’t even happen. Vision reached up with a purple hand and grabbed the enemy’s wrist.

“You are under arrest by the United Nations,” Vision said casually. 

The man made a surprised expression, which then transformed to one of anger. “This isn’t over, I’ll get him.” Bucky could hear him say quietly. He immediately realized that he was about to make an escape and Bucky dashed forward with his hand out. 

But he was too late. The man melted almost instantaneously into a puddle and then that puddle defied all logic and transformed into steam, blending into the air around them. What… in the hell? 

“You are James Barnes?” Vision suddenly asked, seemingly not all that upset that the man got away.

Bucky couldn’t hide the frown on his face. He wished Steve was there. 

“No need to feel threatened,” the purple man said as he turned around and walked towards Stark. “We are meeting under very different circumstances than the last time, after all.”

Bucky didn’t reply, but watched as Vision bent down and pulled Stark up off the ground, throwing his arm over his shoulders and supporting him. Bucky looked directly at Stark and found the man looking at him. 

“Where’s Steve?” he asked in a hoarse voice and through a bloody mouth. 

“Ah…” Bucky struggled to find the words. “W-Well, he’s… he’s with Sam. They were looking for you. I think you should go to a hospital.”

“I strongly agree,” Vision said.

Stark made a surprised expression and then looked at the ground with what looked like a small smile. He stared downwards for what felt like a long time, and then picked up his head up. Bucky couldn’t read his expression at all. The only emotion he was able to see was the sadness in his eyes and Bucky felt his chest squeeze.

“… yeah,” Stark answered. “I dropped my ramen… can someone find it for me?”


	7. It's a Long Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will officially now be updating once every week or so. As you can see, I’ve been busy! So no more 2 chapters in one day kind of deals. :) Thanks to everyone who has commented and gave my story a kudos. You guys are the best!
> 
> Plus, sorry for a shorter chapter, but I felt that that was the best place to leave off. As always, I hope to do the character’s justice! Please enjoy and comment!

Steve wasn’t pleased when he arrived on the scene with Sam. It was empty. Completely empty. Oh, except for the half-dozen police cars, police tape in Thai, tons of police officers, and interested civilians trying to enjoy Hat Yai’s nightlife. 

“Shit…” Sam muttered under his breath.

Steve replied absent-mindedly as he surveyed the situation, “Language…”

“What happened here? This is clearly what Barnes was trying to tell you about before the mic went out,” Sam speculated, standing on his tip-toes to see over the police cars. “Damn. There’s cracks in the road and everything.”

Steve squeezed his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white. What had happened? Bucky called for him, sounding anxious, and then their connection was cut off. He immediately looked at his coordinates, but he was so far away that it took Sam and him nearly ten minutes to reach the destination. 

“I knew I shouldn’t have let him go alone…” Steve muttered to himself while digging through his pocket for his phone.

“You can’t mother ‘im, Steve,” Sam replied, putting his hand on Steve’s shoulder with a reassuring squeeze. “He’s a big boy. He can handle himself.”

Steve nodded, but he didn’t exactly agree. He was concerned about any sort of pain his best friend might go through, physical or mental. Steve didn’t want Bucky to experience any of it. And he sure as hell needed to be there in case Bucky became the Winter Soldier again, for whatever reason.

Steve scrolled through his phone.

No texts or calls from Bucky. What the hell was keeping him?

-X-X-X-X-X-

“All done,” the doctor said in a heavy Thai accent after clipping the sling to the back of Tony’s neck. “How do you feel?”

Tony lifted his broken arm, in a cast plus in a sling, and shrugged. “Itchy,” he replied sarcastically. “Thank you. Just send the bill to the name I gave you.” One of his aliases he figured he’d give a bank account.

Tony stood up and glanced casually at the mirror above a metal sink. He observed the stitching of his skin right below his right eye, resulting in a black eye, and a plumped lip from the punches. He looked at the damage his face sustained for only a moment, and then left the doctor’s room and out into the waiting room.

A man with large, broad shoulders, but hunched over to make himself look small, was seated in the corner with long black hair pulled up into a bun. However, there were stray hairs that created a curtain around his face. The only thing that gave away this stranger’s identity was the small glint of metal underneath a long-sleeved shirt where a hand should be. Tony frowned, unsure.

Barnes had saved him. That was clear enough to see. Hell, he probably saved his goddamn life. Tony wanted to convince himself otherwise, but it was impossible. The genius wasn’t one to beat around a bush, though.

He walked up to the hunched-over man and stopped just in front of him. “Why’d you do it?” he asked casually.

Barnes looked up hesitantly and Tony could see the nervousness in his steel blue eyes… and what looked like fear. The man’s jaw was shaded with a few days’ worth of no shaving below a split lip. He had clearly also taken some damage from that bastard. 

“What?” Barnes said quizzically, standing up and leading the two of them out of the hospital.

“Don’t be stupid. You know what I mean,” Tony said as they walked towards where Vision said he’d meet them. “You saved me. Plus, you’re still here now.”

“Wanted to make sure you’re okay.” 

They stepped out into the sunlight and Tony squinted his eyes to see. “… But why?” 

Tony didn’t know this man. He really didn’t. All he knew that Rogers was a hell of a good friend to him, but a dick to his others. And that the man before him had killed his parents. Why did he seem so much different now? Steve claimed that the ‘Winter Soldier’ wasn’t Barnes, but how could Tony believe that after the video he saw? Where was the proof? Couldn’t Barnes just be playing them all for fools? So then why did he save Tony if that were true? He could have just watched him die and had a good laugh about it later. 

“Look,” Barnes said quietly, and then chuckled humorlessly. “It’s kind of a long story. About me, I mean. I don’t think you want to hear it.”

Tony didn’t laugh nor did he smile back. “Oh, but I do. Rogers can’t explain anything for shit.”

Barnes’ expression suddenly turned surprised and he cursed as he reached into his pocket, digging for something. When his hand came up empty-handed, he cursed again.

“Missing a condom?”

“My phone… I think I dropped it during the fight,” Barnes replied, looking frustrated and nervous. “I forgot to call Steve.”

Tony almost laughed. Rogers was like a damn mother hen with everybody. It brought relief and solace to his mind to know that he treated Barnes the same way as he… used to treat Tony.

“I have a feeling we’ll see him soon,” Tony said reassuringly, shoving Barnes’ shoulder what he could only describe as playfully. He couldn’t stop himself before he had already done it. And that was strange to him.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Natasha was tapping her foot furiously on the hotel room’s cheap carpet. She, Clint, and Wanda came back late last night, or morning, really. And they passed a large area that was taped-off from the police. Lo and behold, Steve was there with Sam, the Falcon. She couldn’t help but notice that Barnes wasn’t with them and they talked about it. Turns out there was a fight, and Tony was nowhere to be found. This was not good. Did they end up killing each other?

“Where the hell’s Vision?” Clint pondered aloud, shoving the curtains to the side to see the start of the rising sun in Thailand. “He wouldn’t have let them fight.”

“Maybe he got caught up in it,” Wanda added, leaning against the backboard of a bed and crossing her arms over her chest.

“Pretty sure he can handle himself without you around,” Clint responded to her with a wry smile. 

Natasha glanced over to the other end of the room and found Steve also looking at her. He looked just as concerned as she did. 

“I’ll go fly around to see if I can find them,” Sam said as he began to suit up. “If they ended up beating each other to near death, I should be able to find their bodies.”

Steve frowned and looked up at his buddy from his seated position. “Not funny.”

Sam shrugged and replied, “Just trying to lighten up this black hole of worry.” He finished putting on his suit with his goggles around his neck as he headed towards the door. “I would prefer to jump out that window, but I have a strange feeling it isn’t one of those windows that can open.”

Natasha gave him a small smile, understanding the joke. Sam then went to the door, reached for the knob, and yanked it open. On the other side as a surprised Tony with the hotel room key card raised in one hand and a cast and sling wrapped around his other arm. Natasha was even more surprised to see Barnes standing next to him with an equally surprised expression. The room was immediately silent.

And that silence lingered in the air until Sam scoffed and spun around to walk back into the room. “Well, shit.”

Stark also scoffed in reply as he waltzed casually into the room, followed by Barnes.

“Looks like you guys are finally back from your all-night bender,” Stark said, stuffing his card key back into his pocket.

Barnes, unsurprisingly, made a beeline for Rogers, who stood up in return.

“Bucky,” Rogers said quietly, but Natasha could hear everything. “What the hell happened?”

Sam smiled mischievously, “I imagine they had a little lover’s quarrel, but after some rough sex, they’ve made up.”

Barnes frowned at his friend and answered, “No… Stark was attacked.”

Natasha looked directly at Barnes with a serious, blank expression on her face. “By you?”

The frowned look she received from him immediately told her that that was untrue. 

“Actually, it turns out I’m a wanted man,” Stark interjected, sitting on the bed next to the one Wanda and Clint sat on. “Some guy who could turn into water and steam gave me a few shiners and broke my arm.”

Natasha studied the bruising and the cuts all over Tony’s face, as well as a couple on Barnes’. She stood up and crossed her arms, looking around at all her companions in the room.

“Well, we’re all back together again, and with full approval of the UN,” she smirked and glanced at Rogers’ corner. “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

Natasha was pleased when she received serious looks and nods from everyone in the room.


	8. Single Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky tries to figure out what the cards mean and things (obviously) don't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for everyone who has commented and sent me a kudos! Each and every one of them is appreciated! To prove I love them, here's an extra long chapter. :)
> 
> As always, I hope to do the character's justice and please enjoy!

Vision scoured Hat Yai to the best of his abilities. If he saw a puddle, he flew down and inspected it. When it did not move or talk, he flew back into the sky. He was not particularly angry at the man who attacked Stark, because he believed the man had his own reasons. However, he was not pleased. Stark, for lack of a more accurate word, was his creator. And it would be quite odd if he were to not protect him from further harm. He was already disappointed in himself for not getting to Stark and Barnes earlier.

And Barnes… what an interesting man. Vision could see in his expressions that he was an aware human being, and not just some… killing machine. Vision could see the sorrow in the man’s eyes and the fear in his lips and lines on his face. Stark was expectedly wary of Barnes, and for good reason. With seeing his creator disturbed by the man’s presence, Vision could not help but mirror that feeling. But his mind told him otherwise. Vision knew in his thoughts that this Barnes was not as evil and malicious as he once thought he was. 

Vision landed softly on the rooftop of an enormous office building. He turned left to see the rising sun. He would keep searching for the enemy for the next hour. If he came up empty-handed, then he would return to the others. However, he sorely wished he would return with his hands full.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Bucky swallowed thickly and kept his eyes downcast.

“Alright, Buck,” Steve began, “What do the words ‘cold-blooded’ and ‘extraordinary’ mean to you?”

He tried to think deeply, but the six pairs of eyes watching him intently made it more difficult. So, he shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He remembered what it felt like to have that sorcerer, Doctor Strange, in his mind and rooting through his memories. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but the man was clearly trying to make it as painless as he could. It almost felt like he was floating on clouds, not the horrible electroshock therapy Hydra put him through.

Extraordinary… cold-blooded… these just sounded like words to him. He thought of their definitions and how they look on paper. Nothing.

Bucky wasn’t in time to stop the annoyed groan reverberating out of his throat and he shook his head angrily. “I… I can’t, Steve. There’s nothing.”

“Did that crazy doctor destroy all your memories?” Sam asked, obviously annoyed and frustrated.

“No, I can still remember my…” Bucky answered, but his voice trailed off and he didn’t realize he glanced at Stark. “… missions.”

There was a long, tense silence. It was so thick that Bucky thought he could taste it and he cleared his throat.

“They wouldn’t be in English,” the young, pale girl with straight dark hair said, breaking the silence with a thick, familiar accent. Bucky looked at her and she returned his gaze. “You were based in Russia, yes?”

Bucky nodded, affirming her question.

Romanov, still seated in the corner of the room, waved her hand casually and added, “So, then it would be ‘khladnokrovnyy’ and ‘neobychaynyy’.”

And that was when something clicked in Bucky’s mind. Hearing those words in Russian flipped a switch and he suddenly felt very, very cold. His body froze and his eyes widened as he was teleported into the past.

He was lying down on the familiar metal table as scientists pulled debris out of his wounds he received from bullets and knives. He felt no fear. Intensely powerful light bulbs shined down on him, giving the doctors ample vision for their operations on him without any anesthesia. The Winter Soldier could feel the pain, but as he was constantly told, he kept it hidden and locked away as much as his body would let it. 

In his peripheral vision, he could see an older scientist approach with a young man, possibly in his late teen years.

“He is extraordinary,” the young man said in Russian and he reached out to touch the Winter Soldier’s metal arm. The Soldier buried all his instincts and allowed the teen to run his pale fingers up and down the length of his prosthetic arm, focusing more on the pain of the doctors removing the bullets from his legs.

“Isn’t he, son?” the older man replied in Russian. “He is the tool for Hydra’s ultimate plan. And we can use him as we please. One day, he will be yours.”

“Mine?” a wicked smile appeared on the young man’s face and he reached out again to touch the Winter Soldier’s face. This, the Soldier would not allow and he reacted violently, causing the scalpel in the doctor’s hands to deeply cut into his flesh, but he ignored the pain. The Winter Soldier swiped his metal arm with a massive amount of force at the young man’s shoulder, hoping to dislocate it and snap his humerus bone. 

However, the young man’s father also reacted out of instinct and wretched the boy backwards, narrowly missing the Soldier’s strike. Immediately afterwards, dozens of hands were on him and wrapping his limbs with rubber to restrain the Soldier. 

The young man and the older man were breathing deeply, clearly surprised and even a little frightened.

“Why did he do that, father?” the young man asked, trying to catch his breath.

His father shook his head, calming down much quicker than his son. “He is a cold-blooded killer, Albert. You mustn’t touch him so much. He is a vicious tool with no heart or soul. He is meant for a world filled with blood and hate. He will never know family or love, like you have. You have to be careful with him, okay?”

Albert, clearly disturbed but also very interested, nodded quickly.

 

Albert… Albert Ivanov. Why was he the main point of this memory? Why was he being reminded of that now? The Winter Soldier did not take too kindly too him.

“… uck…”

Albert looked familiar, even in his memory. Short blonde hair and skin so pale that his eyes almost seemed to glow red. Why was that so familiar to the Winter Soldier?

“… B… ucky…”

A familiar voice echoed in his mind and he could imagine Steve’s face. No… he wasn’t the Winter Soldier. He was Bucky. He was James Buchanan Barnes, best friends with the greatest fighter in history. 

Just as Bucky was beginning to reclaim his consciousness, something like an electric shock went through his mind. And unbeknownst to him, his body seized and he sank to his knees on the floor of the hotel room. A striking pain burst in his head and he unwittingly cried out, grabbing his head and pressing his forehead against the floor. 

His mind teleported back into the past and Albert was older with longer blonde hair. He was smiling impishly and he began to chant words over the Winter Soldier’s broken body.

“Khladnokrovnyy, neobychaynyy, ubiytsa, nelyubimyy,” Albert cackled, repeatedly striking the Winter Soldier with his booted foot.

It was as if a single memory was trying to force its way to his consciousness. Albert was a part of it. The man who attacked Stark… who wanted to kidnap him… that was Albert. It was becoming so unbearably painful, but Bucky couldn’t stop it. He accepted that there was nothing he could do. This single memory was forcing its way to the surface and Bucky knew that if it did, then he might return back to the Winter Soldier. But the pain… and the confusion… it was too much for him. He just wanted it to end. So he allowed his thoughts to be swallowed whole.

And suddenly, Stark’s face was in front of him. Bucky paused everything.

“… Sputnik!” 

Bucky’s world immediately faded to black and the intruding memory scurried away.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Steve watched as his friend’s body stiffened when Natasha said the words in Russian rather than English. He had never studied Bucky’s face so intently, making sure he was watching for any sort of pain or whether the man would revert back to the Winter Soldier. 

Bucky looked to be deep in thought, clearly trying to recall things. His hands were on his knees, gripping them so tightly that his fingertips turned white. His steel blue eyes shined brilliantly from the sunlight cascading into the room from the entirely too large glass wall. Stark spared no expense for the enormous room that would fit all of them. Bucky was seated in a cushioned seat near the curtain, right beside Steve. 

There was a long silence. Almost too long.

“So… what’s happening?” Clint asked, clearly bored. The comment made multiple Avengers shush him and he rolled his eyes. 

Suddenly, Bucky’s metal arm swiped to the left, just missing Steve’s head, but then crashing into the glass wall. It immediately shattered, sending glass falling twenty stories downward. Steve instantly leapt to his feet and leaned over.

“Watch out!” he yelled as loud as he could. There was a group of three people at the bottom, who clearly didn’t speak English, but heard his shout. Seeing the falling debris, the three of them thankfully ran out of the way, but ended up running much further away than they needed to be. 

Steve turned around to see all his friends on their feet, looking very shocked and concerned. Bucky was on his knees now with his hands covering his ears and slamming his forehead against the floor and crying out loud, conspicuously in agony.

“You need to control him!” Natasha yelled over the rush of the wind through the broken wall. “Or I will!”

Steve nodded and immediately kneeled down next to his friend. “Bucky? Buck!” He grabbed onto his shoulders, squeezing them assuredly, but nothing happened. It was as if he didn’t hear him. 

For some reason, Steve had the strange feeling that he needed to look at Stark. And when he did, he regretted it. Stark looked angry… furious, even. Like he would attack at any moment. And Steve felt guilty. He wanted them to understand Bucky, to give him a chance, even after all that happened. His best friend didn’t deserve it… this hatred and wariness that his friends exhibited. If only he could explain better.

Suddenly, Bucky whipped his head upwards, colliding it with Steve’s chin and making him stumble backwards. Immediately afterwards, Steve took a blow in his gut with the familiar metal arm. All the wind was knocked out of his lungs and he was sent flying against the wall on the opposite end of the room, then hitting the floor with a hard thud.

He was caught so off-guard that he was struggling to regain his composure. As he was stumbling to his feet, he watched as Bucky fought off the advances of his friends, almost in slow motion. 

Natasha was the first to react, but Bucky stopped her roundhouse kick with a simple block with his metallic arm. The vibration from it sent Natasha to the floor, gripping her shin with a pain expression on her face. Sam was next; he was able to land a quick blow to his head, but was returned with the same, only with a very powerful arm. 

Steve felt his heart almost breaking. Bucky was reverting back to the Winter Soldier. Not even a little memory was safe for him? Steve felt regret… so much regret and guilt. 

And then Stark kicked Bucky in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards closer to the edge of the twenty story drop, but it was hardly a damaging blow. Stark didn’t have his Iron Man suit on and Steve felt his breath hitch when Bucky pulled back his metal arm, readying to attack Stark. If that happened… then Bucky would surely be put back in cryostasis. Maybe forever.

It all happened in slow motion and Steve was running towards the two of them. Bucky shot his metal, open-palm hand forward, looking to grab Stark’s face.

And something extraordinary happened. Bucky froze and his hand stopped mere inches from Stark’s surprised face. Like he had stopped the attack himself. Bucky’s expression went from merciless killer to terrified in a matter of half a second. 

Taking advantage of it, Steve shouted, “Sputnik!” 

To his relief, Steve watched as Bucky’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and his legs clearly tried to stay rooted to the ground, because he took a few steps back. That was when Steve felt his stomach drop. Bucky fell backwards, but not towards the ground.

Out of the opening of the shattered glass wall. It all happened so slowly and his companions were so shocked that no one moved. No one moved but Steve. He had been in this position before with his best friend. Watching him fall to his death… And Steve could feel his heart pulsating quickly.

Time suddenly sped up and Steve dashed to the edge with his arm reaching out. But he was far too late.

“Bucky!!”


	9. Back to Square One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony isn't exactly in control of his feelings, but you can't exactly blame him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter is up! A great big thanks to everyone who has commented and gave this story a kudos! Each one means so much! Please, if you enjoy reading this story, leave a comment and let me know what you think! I'm really curious why you fabulous readers like reading it! Constructive criticism is always appreciated, as well! 
> 
> As always, I hope to do the characters justice! Enjoy!

Steve could feel the tears welling in his eyes and he squeezed them shut. His expression contorted in sorrow and despair as he dipped his head forward. Had he lost Bucky again? And again… by his own doing? He couldn’t save him on that train and he didn’t have the brain to tell him that his friend was in danger of falling out of a goddamn hole in the wall. 

“I… I could use some help here!” came Stark’s very stressed and hoarse voice. 

Steve whipped his head up to see that Stark was not in the last place he saw him. He was actually lying on the ground with half his torso sticking out of the building and his uninjured arm hanging out of sight. 

“Holy shit!” Clint yelled absent-mindedly as he, Sam, and Natasha instantly went to grab at Stark’s body to keep him from falling as well. Steve was so confused and sad that his body and mind couldn’t react to what was happening around him.

“Get your ass over here, Cap!” Sam shouted, snapping Steve out of his trance.

He dashed forward and bent down near Stark, leaning over the edge carefully. He was shocked to see Tony’s hand wrapped around Bucky’s ankle, keeping his completely unconscious best friend from falling, trembling with fatigue. Steve immediately reached down and wrapped his own hand around Bucky’s ankle just below Stark’s. He pulled him up with relative ease, but knowing full-well that to a normal man, Bucky’s muscular body would feel like he weighed a ton. 

Steve looked twenty-stories down to see a small group of people forming beneath them, yelling and pointing up at them. Cap had no doubt that the police would arrive soon and he didn’t want to have to deal with that. Steve was a bit surprised when red mist surrounded Bucky and made him even lighter to heave back into the room. Cap glanced over at Wanda’s direction, who emitted the red mist with a dancing of her hands and fingers. 

Steve pulled the last of his friend away from certain death and he wrapped his arms around his chest, clinging onto him and pressing his forehead against the back of Bucky’s head, which was lulling back in his embrace. He thought he’d lost his friend again… And the relief of having not overwhelmed Steve and he couldn’t hold back the tears welling in his eyes. Thankfully, none of them fell down his cheeks.

“Jesus!” Sam exhaled loudly after the three of them recovered Stark.

Steve studied his friend’s face and noticed that there were absolutely no lines of distress or pain. Just the split lip and bruised cheek from the earlier fight with the mysterious man. Bucky was completely unconscious and Steve relaxed a bit more.

“Tony…” Steve began in a quiet voice, earning him an exhausted look from the billionaire who was still collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. “… You saved him.”

Stark waved his uninjured hand in the air sarcastically, but then he winced and set it back down. It was clear that his previous uninjured arm was now wounded thanks to his catch.

“Well, you know,” Stark replied, grimacing. “I always like playing the hero. Wouldn’t be in the business otherwise, right?”

“But… he attacked you. He attacked everyone,” Steve countered, staring right into the genius’ eyes.

Tony shook his head, still trying to catch his breath. “I couldn’t have been the only one to see what happened.”

“What, he beat the shit out of Romanov and me?” Sam said, rolling his eyes.

Natasha was still cradling her injured leg, but still furrowed her brows at the Falcon. “Excuse me? I was holding my own, thank you very much.”

Sam cocked his head to the side, sarcastically quizzically. “So then why’d I have to jump in and get clocked on the head?”

Nat looked like she was about to retort, but then Tony interjected, “He never hurt me. Didn’t even touch me. I think he stopped when he saw my face.”

Steve couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He honestly believed that what he had seen might have just been an illusion; a trick of his eyes; that Bucky would ever stop attacking as the Winter Soldier. 

“Do you really believe that?” Clint said, walking across the room and rummaging through his pack to pull out medical supplies.

A terse silence followed.

“I saw it.”

And then all eyes in the room were on Wanda.

Her eyes fell downcast and she spoke softly, “I froze, when he started rampaging. But not from fear. I could see in his thoughts and mind… not a killer. He was frightened. He believed he was defending himself.”

As Wanda explained what she saw, Steve felt his chest squeeze with pain every moment.

She continued, “Barnes reacted to what he saw in his memories and-”

“Then why the hell did he look so clear-headed?” Clint interrupted angrily. 

Steve felt like he had to speak up, “He was trained to be like that by Hydra.”

“Even so,” Wanda sustained, “When he looked at Stark, his mind seemed to pause… and he thought of another memory. Killing a man and a woman after… a car accident…” Tears suddenly trickled down Wanda’s face and she quickly went to wipe them away. “And I could feel what he felt… such horrible sadness and despair. And regret,” her voice even broke. It seemed like she was taking on someone else’s emotions, because there were no lines on her face that presented stress.

And all Steve could do was stare at her in shock. So… he didn’t revert back to the Winter Soldier? Did Doctor Strange’s methods cause him to be able to recognize things on the outside? 

“What does some car accident have to do with Stark?” Sam asked, gently prodding the back of his head to inspect the wound Bucky gave him.

Steve looked at Tony, who looked solemn, but angry at the same time. What could he possibly be thinking at this point? Should they tell them?

“Nothing,” Stark said curtly, standing up with a groan. But he said it so casually, so calmly, that luckily, Sam didn’t give it a second thought and changed the subject.

“So… he’s good, then?” the Falcon said, flipping his palms over in a small shrug.

Wanda nodded, glancing in Bucky’s direction in Steve’s arms. “Unstable, but good.”

Police sirens were suddenly heard in the distance.

“I think it’s time we left,” Nat said, bracing her leg as she stood.

Steve clutched Bucky tighter. “Couldn’t agree more.”

-X-X-X-X-X-

Tony kept his eyes and thus his more secret emotions underneath a pair of lightly red-tinted sunglasses as he stared relentlessly at the open sky in front of him. He sat in the captain’s seat of his Quinjet and refused to tear his eyes from the sky ahead. He was so angry… so confused with Barnes’ behavior. Who really was the man? 

Tony was absolutely positive he could see Barnes’ terrified expression over what he had done before Cap said some magic word and knocked him unconscious. Tony could see regret and guilt in his eyes… a look Tony was all too familiar with. Maybe, like with everything, Tony was overthinking it. Maybe Barnes really was a helpless man caught in unfortunate events. Except when he could kick the entire Avengers teams’ asses. 

“So, how is he?” Tony could hear Steve ask a few meters behind him. 

The complete team, save for Vision (where the hell was he?), was packed into the jet, with Barnes still out cold and lying down on a reclined seat. With no leads, Tony was simply flying them back to New York, but they were only an hour into their trip. 

“His mind is showing no signs of distress… like he is not thinking of anything,” Wanda replied, “What did you do to him?”

“The same man I told you about that was able to restrict his memories, well, he told me that if he ever gets out of control, then saying ‘sputnik’ would knock him out.” Steve could be heard shifting his feet.

“You really couldn’t have said it before he punched me?” Sam whined.

Tony heard Steve scoff, but the plane turned silent, like no one had anything to say, which was a rarity for this particular group. Tony just wanted to, so badly, understand more about Barnes. Even though hatred for the man was on the surface of Tony’s exterior expressions, he had a deep desire to understand him and perhaps pity him. Maybe it was to make himself feel better. Maybe for another reason he couldn’t quite place his finger on. And God knows he couldn’t talk to Cap about it… good ol’ Captain America was a liar and most certainly a bad friend. Tony could put the blame on Barnes for doing the same, but they weren’t like brothers. The fact that Steve hid so many things from him… Tony just couldn’t forgive him. Sure, the letter and disposable phone he received from him was a kind gesture, but it was like trying to add more spices to cover up a roast that was already burnt. 

Tony wanted to trust Barnes.

“Hey, hey, Buck, you awake?” Steve said in the background and Tony felt his stomach drop, but kept his eyes locked on the sky. 

In a quiet, strained voice, Tony could hear Barnes say, “… Star-… Where’s Stark?”

Tony pretended he couldn’t hear him.

“Tony.”

Tony finally turned around from his seat with an unreadable expression at Natasha.

She had a frown on her face as she added, “He wants to see you.”

Tony forced a cheerfully sarcastic smile. “Isn’t that sweet?” He flipped on autopilot and casually moved towards the middle of the Quinjet where Barnes was lying.

He looked incredibly weak for some odd reason with a sweaty forehead and unkempt hair messily tied into a bun. His expression looked painful and even sorrowful and it looked like he couldn’t sit up. Holy shit, what did Cap do to him?

Tony is ripped from his thoughts when a trembling hand slowly grabbed his suit’s sleeve. He looked down at Barnes, staying standing straight. Tony is expected the man to defend his actions. To tell all of them that none of his actions were under his control. Tony expected him to protect himself. But what he received was definitely not what Tony had in mind.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Barnes apologized, his voice quavering. Tony only watched in silent shock as the man before him fell apart in front of his very eyes. “I’m so… so sorry about what I did. Everything… what I’ve done.”

Tony doesn’t know how to react. Is he apologizing for everyone he’s killed? Barnes’ blue eyes are shimmering with unshed tears that fall over his unshaved cheeks one by one. Tony felt the stares of everyone else in the plane, except for one pair of eyes. He saw Steve looking at Barnes with a concerned expression and holding his friend’s shoulder to steady his shaking body. And that made Tony mad.

“Get a hold of yourself,” Tony said in a harsh tone, not able to look Barnes in the eyes. Tony wanted to say something kinder, but the words didn’t form in his head. The only words that formed were cruel. “Apologizing won’t bring anyone back. Won’t bring my mom back. It’s a sorry excuse coming from a mass murderer.”

And then Tony ripped his sleeve away from Barnes’ light grasp. Barnes looked so hurt as he tried to reach at Tony again, but his arm fell and his eyes shut. 

Tony could feel his heart hurting with what he said. It was actually hurting a lot, which was strange for emotional pain.

As Tony made his way back to the pilot’s seat, Nat spoke up, “What the hell, Stark?”

Tony could hear his heart beat echo in his head and could feel his lungs struggling to breathe. He felt his heart ramming up against his rib cage with each pump and it hurt like hell. 

Tony ignored her as he tried to will the pain away from his chest, so she tries again, “Hey!” she called out angrily, shoving his shoulder lightly.

In agonizing pain, but hiding it well, Tony couldn’t withhold his anger anymore. “What!” he yelled, turning to glare at her. His voice was raised quite high. “What is it? What is it, Romanov? Do you have something to say? You don’t understand a damn thing about the situation!”

Natasha wasn’t one to be scared away, though. She fought back. “I don’t need to understand the complications of the circumstances, Stark! All I need to see is that Barnes was clearly sincere and you shot him the hell down like some scumbag!” 

“Nat-” Steve tried to nip her ranting in the bud, but his voice was so calm that Romanov ignored him. Tony clutched at the clothing in front of his heart in a sad attempt to heal the pain in his chest.

“You’ve got no idea what he’s been through!” she added and continued. “The kind of Hell Hydra put him through to create a killer! It ruins so many lives!” It was clear she wasn’t only talking about Barnes. “It was never his choice!”

Tony subconsciously reached out to steady himself by grabbing the head cushion of the pilot’s seat and he stumbled when the plane hit a bit of turbulence. Romanov’s words suddenly were drowned out by a high-pitched ringing in his eyes. Tony realized that he was the only one hearing it because no one seemed affected. He focused on Natasha’s mouth, which finally stopped moving. He read her lips, because he couldn’t hear her. She asked him if he was okay. 

As his body hit the ground in a dead faint, the last thing Tony thought was that he definitely was not okay. 

-X-X-X-X-X-

In a random, dark alley in an unknown city, Albert crotched on the dusty ground and leaned against the building. He was very angry. He had heard of the creature known as Vision, but he was sincerely hoping he wouldn’t turn up, because he was the only Avenger who could possibly defeat him. But lo and behold, the one anomaly appeared. Stark was going to be his… Barnes wouldn’t have stood a chance against him if given Albert five more minutes.

However, all was not lost. 

With a wicked grin, Albert studied his right hand. His thumb was missing.


	10. Remembrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team figures out what's wrong with Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I'd like to thank everyone who has commented and gave me a kudos! They are my lifeblood! Thank you all sooo much!
> 
> And second, I'll not be able to post a chapter for a while, so please be patient with me! I'm going somewhere where, if you can believe it, I won't be able to bring my laptop. I hope that I can come back to some comments that will motivate me to write quickly!
> 
> As always, I hope to do the characters justice and please do enjoy!

Vision was getting fed up. He did not think he could ever feel agitated. The enemy had alluded him, that much was clear. He had been searching the city of Hat Yai for a good few hours; landing on rooftops and scouring the ground. He received shocked looks whenever someone would witness his flight. Although he knew most humans could not do the same, he figured that the world would have become numb to seeing anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps not.

Vision soared through the sky and when his mobile device buzzed for the fifth time in his trouser pocket, he paused mid-flight. He finally decided to not ignore it any longer and pulled out his mobile, glancing at the screen. It was a message from Stark, his creator, only fifteen minutes ago. 

“Barnes freaked the hell out,” Vision read aloud absentmindedly. “On the way back to NY with everyone. Where are you?”

A small smile grew on Vision’s face. Stark, to him, seemed like the very embodiment of humanity itself. Stark had regrets, strong feelings, guilt, and hatred… but Vision liked to believe that he understood him more than anyone. Vision knew that behind his sarcasm and sharp wit was a man struggling to know who he was, but save the world in the meantime. The man did his best and did what he thought was right. He was not perfect, but he had a lot of love and Vision believed that was all any human could do.

Vision attempted at a text back, but his thumbs kept fumbling over the buttons. It was a difficult thing to do. Frustrated, Vision decided to simply call him.

No answer, so Vision rung him again.

He was relieved when he heard a faint click. 

“Hello?” came a loud, exhausted, and stressed reply. It also sounded forced.

Vision paused, not recognizing Stark’s voice. His mind immediately processed whose voice it belonged to. “Clint?”

“Yeah, yeah, where are you, man?” Clint sounded muffled, like his mouth was too close to the microphone.

“I am still in Hat Yai. But I have decided to-” Vision was suddenly cut off by what sounded like cries and groans coming from the background of Clint’s end of the phone. “What is that?”

“It’s Stark.”

“What?”

“He’s collapsed. Like he’s having some heart attack.”

Vision frowned, concerned. He was about to reply, but the Black Widow could be heard in the background, yelling something about restraints. 

“Look, man, Stark’s really hurtin’ here, so-”

Vision clicked the phone off before Clint could finish. He shut his eyes slowly, calmly. 

There was no controlling problem with the mind stone, as it was a part of his very being, so Vision could use it with relative ease. He pushed his consciousness out of his body and sent it torpedoing towards their plane. It was easy to locate with the mind stone’s power. His conscious sight slowed down as it passed through the bullet-proof metal of the Quinjet and entered the interior. 

He could see Stark, writhing on the floor in clear, agonizing pain. Romanoff was kneeling beside him with both her hands on his chest, gripping at his clothes. Vision found that odd. Wanda was standing just behind the Black Widow with a frightened and concerned look on her face. Clint was glaring angrily at a mobile phone and then tossed it onto a passenger seat. 

It was all happening in slow motion for Vision, so he could get a full read of the situation in a shorter amount of time. 

He spun his consciousness around to see Steve standing still, but looking ready to move at any moment’s notice. And beside Steve, lying on a flattened seat, was Barnes. He was propping himself up with an elbow to see what was happening. He looked worn out, but otherwise unharmed. 

Vision decided to go in for a closer look. He looked at Stark and entered his body. Vision was programmed to know everything about the human body, so he figured that he’d find the source of his creator’s pain quickly.

And he did. 

What he saw made him feel strange. His chest and fists tightened in his real body. His mind was racing with too many thoughts. He felt that at that moment, it was as close to anger as someone like him could get. 

There were foreign cells running through Stark’s veins and entering his heart chamber; attacking it, in a sense. Vision quickly recognized the cells as belonging to the man who attacked Stark and Barnes yesterday. 

If only Vision had been able to find the man… his creator wouldn’t be in such pain. But all was not lost. Vision knew exactly how to deal with it.

He retreated his consciousness back to his body, which jolted violently upon impact. Vision suddenly realized that his body was pressed into the concrete of a street. Without his consciousness, it must have fallen right from the sky. He sat up slowly, debris rolling off his shoulders. Over twenty civilians of Hat Yai were staring at him, shocked. 

“Greetings.” Vision nodded at his surprised guests.

He immediately shot into the sky, sending a blast of wind and rubble at his guests from the force behind his leap. 

Vision had to get to the plane as fast as he could. 

-X-X-X-X-X-

Natasha was so shocked that she forgot all about her intense anger at Stark, who was subconsciously pulling at his shirt in a useless attempt at lightening the sudden pain he was feeling. She pressed his shoulders down, trying to keep his body still, but he was squirming so much that the Black Widow was having a bit of trouble. 

“What’s happening to him?” Clint asked as he tossed Stark’s cellphone onto an empty passenger seat. 

She shook her head without even looking up. Conspicuously, she had no idea what was happening. 

“Take this plane down,” she said loudly, but not quite a yell. “We need to get him to a hospital.”

Clint nodded and dashed to the pilot’s seat. 

Natasha glanced upwards to see Barnes struggling to sit up, but he seemed too concerned to go back to sleep. Steve was standing up straight with a worried expression, but was that… anger that Natasha could see? 

Suddenly, Vision entered the Quinjet in his usual fashion: simply fazing right through it. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Natasha asked him as he immediately kneeled down beside her. He didn’t even look at her, keeping his eyes right on Stark and reaching out with his palm. 

Vision pressed his hand on Stark’s chest and he shut his eyes. 

After a moment, he suddenly said, “I need a container of sorts. Anything that will hold liquid without a hole.”

Natasha gaped at him. “What are you talking about?”

Natasha looked up to see Sam holding out a Rubbermaid container that she assumed he had his lunch in.

“Will this work?” he asked without any further questions.

“That will do,” Vision replied. “Open it and get ready.”

Sam did was he was told and Vision suddenly fazed his hand through Stark’s chest cavity, which immediately made the man cry out in pain. Natasha tried holding him down, but he was struggling too much.

“Keep him still or I might accidentally rip his heart out!” Vision yelled, but still keeping a steady face. Natasha was shocked to see emotion coming from the man-made creation. That was emotion, wasn’t it?

Red mist then wrapped around Stark’s limbs and head, restraining his movement to a certain extent. Natasha mouthed a thank you at Wanda, who smiled wearily in return. 

Only a few seconds later, Vision retracted his fist and opened it over Sam’s lunch container. Milky, dark liquid fell out of his grasp and once it was all in, Sam immediately shut the box and locked it.

“What the hell is that?” Sam asked, making a disgusted expression and inspecting his clear container closely.

“Is that…?” Barnes interjected from his seated position, leaning in closer.

Vision nodded. “It’s a part of the man you and Stark fought yesterday.”

“It’s what?” Natasha chimed in, confused. There was a short silence that followed her questions to allow her to realize that Stark was no longer crying out in pain and agony. He was sleeping soundly, it looked like.

“The enemy has the uncanny ability to turn his body into any of the three matter forms; liquid, gas, and solid. That is part of his liquid form that I’m sure he put into Stark’s system shortly after they fought,” Vision explained. “I assume it would be to kill him.”

“It’s not.” Barnes sat up completely, wincing weakly. “Albert wanted Stark for some reason. He wouldn’t kill him.”

Steve grasped Barnes shoulder. “Who’s Albert, Bucky?”

“Did you remember…?” Natasha asked, standing up with a surprised expression.

Barnes nodded and kept his eyes locked on the floor. “I remember everything.”


End file.
